caesura
noun·/sɪˈzʊr.ə/
A pause or break within a line of verse, often marked by syntax or sense rather than punctuation, where the poem inhales, pivots, or lets meaning echo (prosody). The caesura is an interior seam, the line cut and stitched while still remaining one.
The caesura landed like a held breath, and the second half of the line returned altered by silence.
Etymology
From Latin caesūra “a cutting,” from caedere “to cut.” The term is exact: the poet cuts the line, not to shorten it, but to give it articulation.
Related Words
enjambmentsense running past the line break; caesura’s frequent counterpoint
meterthe patterned measure that caesura interrupts or reinforces
hemistichhalf-line; what a strong caesura can seem to create
prosodythe study of rhythm and sound in verse