Catalectic

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Catalectic \Cat`a*lec"tic\, a. [L. catalecticus, Gr. ?
     incomplete, fr. ? to leave off; kata` down, wholly + lh`gein
     to stop.]
     1. (Pros.) Wanting a syllable at the end, or terminating in
        an imperfect foot; as, a catalectic verse.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. (Photog. & Chem.) Incomplete; partial; not affecting the
        whole of a substance. --Abney.
        [1913 Webster] Catalepsy

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  catalectic
       adj : (verse) metrically incomplete; especially lacking one or
             more syllables in the final metrical foot [ant: {hypercatalectic},
              {acatalectic}]