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Trimeter catalectic

Meter
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 three-foot line missing its final syllable, creating abrupt, truncated effect

Detailed Definition
Trimeter catalectic is a three-foot line missing its final unstressed syllable, creating a truncated, emphatic ending (e.g., in trochaic trimeter: DUM-da DUM-da DUM); this metrical variation adds rhythmic surprise and weight, often used in dramatic or incantatory poetry to heighten urgency or finality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Trimeter catalectic omits final syllable for abruptness: Emily Dickinson’s hymn lines (“Hope is the thing” – 7 syllables instead of 8); Ben Jonson’s “Still to Be Neat”; contemporary examples include A.E. Housman’s “Loveliest of Trees”; W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” (“He was my North”); Victorian hymns using catalectic trimeter for solemnity.
Additional Notes
Trimeter missing final syllable(s) in last foot. Creates truncated effect. Compare acatalectic trimeter for complete version. Useful for creating urgency or incompleteness in rhythm.
Also Known As
Truncated trimeter Shortened three-foot Headless brief line Reduced trimeter
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