Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

scansion

Noun

/ˈskan(t)ʃən/

Definition

The analysis of a line of poetry to understand its rhythm and meter.

Examples

In her literature class, she learned scansion to improve her understanding of various poems.
The teacher demonstrated scansion by marking the stresses in a Shakespearean sonnet.

Meaning

Scansion involves breaking down the poetic form to identify the stressed and unstressed syllables, helping to reveal the musical quality of the verse.