Half of a line of poetry, typically divided at the caesura (a natural pause), or a line with only half the standard meter.
From Greek 'hemistichos' (half-verse), combining 'hemi-' (half) with 'stichos' (line of verse or poetry). Used in classical and medieval prosody.
In ancient Greek and Latin poetry, a hemistich marks a dramatic pause in the middle of a line—like when an actor stops mid-sentence for effect, the rhythm changes and suddenly you're listening more intently!
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