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surcease

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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 cessation or ending, especially relief from something troublesome or oppressive; in archaic poetry, it conveys finality, peace after turmoil, or the welcome halt of a prolonged ordeal.

Detailed Definition
In older literary English, surcease means a pause, cessation, or relief from an affliction. Poe uses it in a solemn, elevated way to describe the speaker’s attempt to find an end to sorrow through books.
Example
Example in poetry:
“From my books surcease of sorrow” — Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”; “Surcease of tears” means a stopping or relief from grief; The speaker begs the rain for surcease; The archaic noun gives the line a formal, mournful tone
Additional Notes
The word "surcease" in the quoted line is an archaic literary term that most modern readers would need to look up.; Found in the poem, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Also Known As
cessation termination respite pause
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