hypercatalexis

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noun

The addition of one or two syllables to the last foot of a verse

OriginLatin hypercatalēcticus ← Ancient Greek ὑπερκαταληκτικός →
Scrabble 31
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Meanings

nounhypercatalexis (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecommunicationsThe addition of one or two syllables to the last foot of a verse

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekὑπερκαταληκτικός
  2. Latinhypercatalēcticus
  3. Englishhypercatalexis

Coined in the late 1880s as a back-formation from hypercatalectic, from Latin hypercatalēcticus, from Ancient Greek ὑπερκαταληκτικός (huperkatalēktikós), from ὑπερ- (huper-, “over”) + καταληκτικός (katalēktikós, “incomplete”)

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Cite this entry
APA

hypercatalexis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypercatalexis

MLA

“hypercatalexis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypercatalexis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hypercatalexis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hypercatalexis.

Source: hypercatalexis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.