enjambment
Say it: en-JAM-munt /ɪnˈdʒæmmənt/ · noun
What “enjambment” means
A sentence continuing into the next poetry line without stopping.
More precisely: Continuing a sentence past the end of a line of poetry without a pause.
Example: “The poet uses enjambment to make each line spill urgently into the next.”
When to use it
In poetry discussion, when explaining how a sentence runs across a line break and keeps the reader moving.
Memory trick
The French root means 'stride over': the sentence strides over the line break.
Similar words
run-on line, overflow
Where it comes from
French enjamber, 'to stride over'.
Quick check
A poem's sentence continues straight into the next line, with no punctuation or natural pause at the break. That is…
a caesura or enjambment?
Show the answer
enjambment
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