Date: Wed Sep 24 00:03:05 EDT 1997
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aposiopesis
ap.o.si.o.pe.sis n., pl. -ses [LLat. <Gk. aposiopesis <aposiopan, to become silent: apo- (intensive) + siopan, to be silent <siope, silence] A sudden breaking off of a thought in the middle of a sentence, as though the speaker were unwilling or unable to continue.

`On the Genealogy of Morals'.(book reviews)., Vol. 70, The Germanic Review, 09-01-1995, pp 177(2).
"Scheier is concerned with form and Allison focuses `on Nietzsche's rhetorical use of aposiopesis,' that is, of becoming silent."
Spector, Stanley J., Nietzsche, Genealogy, Morality: Essays on Nietzsche's

does this relate to "pause"?

Dear etaoin: it sounds like a pause for effect, to convey
some emotion of the speaker.

perhaps some form of tmesis?
a · pos(pause) · iopesis

a · pos(pause) · iopesis

Naw. Check the etymology in Dr Bill's first post. apo-siope-sis

Naw.

actually, I was thinking of some sort of aural tmesis. could our word pause(or whatever it came from) have developed from the tmetification of this word?