Another word site, many of them not parlor talk.
But I haven't encountered "caesura" for quite a while.
Something about a dramatic interruption.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Definition: \C[ae]*su"ra\, n.; pl. E. {C[ae]suras}, L.
{C[ae]sur[ae]} [L. caesura a cutting off, a division, stop,
fr. caedere, caesum, to cut off. See {Concise}.]
A metrical break in a verse, occurring in the middle of a
foot and commonly near the middle of the verse; a sense pause
in the middle of a foot. Also, a long syllable on which the
c[ae]sural accent rests, or which is used as a foot.

Note: In the following line the c[ae]sura is between study
and of.

The prop | er stud | y || of | mankind | is man.

It’s a great word, Bill. Perhaps the loveliest example I know occurs in William Butler Yeats’ poem ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’:

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan's Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.


There is one great caesura in the fourth line from the end, with "all" held in the balance either side of the mid-line poise. In the final lines, the inversion of “waste of breath” either side of a rythmic line break forms a perfect caesura that encapsulates the sense of balance, summation, poise between life and death…”I balanced all…” ~ wonderful.

In addition to its technical meaning as it relates to verse, I have heard "caesura" used to describe a pause in a prose sentence which has no meter at all. I think this is sometimes described as "a dramatic pause." And I think that is also a proper use of this term.

Dear Mav: you seem to have drained the Pierian spring dry.

Too kind, Doc :)

But looking now at the PIE roots of the Macedonian spring name makes me think perhaps 'tis the muses' fault I've put on weight... I shoulda stuck to the blushful hippocrene!

http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE381.html

Dear Mav: I liked the last four lines of that link:
II. Extended o-grade form *poid-. fat, from Old English ft(t), fat, from Germanic past participle *faitidaz, fattened, from derivative verb *faitjan, to fatten, from *faitaz, plump, fat. (Pokorny pe()- 793.)

"faitaz" = callipygy