Home › Glossary › Letter P

Paeonic catalectic

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A metrical foot of four syllables with a shortened final element; in poetry, it creates a truncated paean, introducing a sense of haste or altered emphasis to the rhythm.

Detailed Definition
Paeonic catalectic clips paeons, varying choral rhythm. It condenses emphasis; in hymns, it sharpens devotion, focusing emotional peaks succinctly.
Example
Example in poetry:
Paeonic catalectic (u / / / - ) truncated appears in "The wind, it blows" (truncated paeonic); "The stars, they shine" (catalectic paeonic); "The fire, it burns" (truncated); "The bells, they ring" (catalectic paeonic); "The river, flows" (truncated paeonic); "The moon, it rises" (catalectic paeonic).
Additional Notes
Paeonic catalectic shortens a paeon (e.g., – ᴗ ᴗ ᴗ → – ᴗ ᴗ), reducing its span; this truncation accelerates delivery and sharpens emphasis, useful in rapid-fire or emphatic lines.
Also Known As
Catalectic paeon shortened paeonic foot
Skip to main content