a. Pros. [ad. late L. acatalēctic-us ad. Gr. ἀκατάληκτ-ος (negat. of κατάληκτος: see CATALECTIC).] Not catalectic; not wanting a syllable in the last foot; complete in its syllables: also subst. ‘A verse, which has the complete number of syllables, without defect or superfluity.’ J.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie (1869), 142. The Greekes and Latines vsed verses … which they called Catalecticke and Acatalecticke.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Catalectic, The antients called Catalectic Verses, those which wanted either feet or syllables; in opposition to Acatalectics, which are complete verses, wanting nothing.
1859. Donaldson, Gr. Gram., § 656. The most important, and perhaps the oldest species of iambic verse, was the Trimeter Acatalectic.
