cae;su;ra pronunciation: function: noun inflected form(s): plural cae;suras or cae;su;rae etymology: late latin, from latin, act of cutting, from caedere to cutdate: 1556 1 in modern prosody : a usually rhetorical break in the flow of sound in the middle of a line of verse2 greek amp; latin prosody : a break in the flow of sound in a verse caused by the ending of a word within a foot3 : break, interruption4 : a pause marking a rhythmic point of division in a melody— cae;su;ral adjective