an unstressed syllable at the end of a line of verse
feminine ending in American English
noun
1. Prosody
an unaccented syllable at the close of a line of poetry, often one that is added to the metrical pattern as an extra syllable
2. Grammar
a termination or final syllable marking a feminine word: In Latin -ā is a feminine ending for the ablative case in the singular
Word origin
[1890–95]This word is first recorded in the period 1890–95. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blip, masochism, pogey, takedown, wireless
Examples of 'feminine ending' in a sentence
feminine ending
If something is missing, it takes us back to those feminine endings.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
She locates examples of stichomythic hexameters, various kinds of short lines and feminine endings, and suggests their effects in each context.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Even the metre joins in, with those delicately downshifting feminine endings in the second and third lines.