Definition

1. Adjective:

   • (Prosody) Having an extra syllable: In poetry, describes a line of verse that has one or more syllables beyond those required to complete the standard metrical pattern of the line. It is the opposite of catalectic (which is missing a syllable) and contrasts with acatalectic (which is complete and regular).

2. Noun:

   • (Prosody) A hypercatalectic line: A specific line of poetry that exhibits this characteristic of having extra syllables at its end.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The final line of the stanza is intentionally hypercatalectic, creating a sense of overflow.
  • A hypercatalectic verse can add emphasis or a feeling of incompleteness that propels the reader forward.

• Noun:

  • The poet used a hypercatalectic to break the rhythmic expectation.
  • Scanning the poem, I identified the last line as a hypercatalectic.

Advanced Usage

• In metrical analysis, a hypercatalectic line is analyzed by noting the extra syllable(s) that extend beyond the final complete foot.
• The term is used in technical discussions of poetic meter, often in contrast with and lines.

Variants and Related Words

• Catalectic (adj.): (Of a line of verse) missing one syllable in the last foot.
• Acatalectic (adj.): (Of a line of verse) having a complete number of syllables in the last foot; metrically complete.
• Hypermetrical (adj.): A more general term meaning having one or more extra syllables beyond the regular meter; hypercatalectic is a specific type of hypermetrical line where the extra syllables are at the .

Synonyms

• Hypermetrical (when referring specifically to the end of a line).

Antonyms

• Catalectic (lacking a syllable).
• Acatalectic (metrically complete).

Adjective

1. (verse) having an extra syllable or syllables at the end of a metrically complete verse or in a metrical foot

Noun

1. (prosody) a line of poetry having an extra syllable or syllables at the end of the last metrical foot