verb
scan
To fit a pattern of rhythm in poetry.
The final line scans smoothly when you read it aloud.
Etymology
The Latin verb means to climb and was applied to stepping through verse. A line scans when its syllables fit the expected metrical steps.
More examples
- That extra syllable keeps the last line from scanning.
- Her revised stanza scans in iambic pentameter.
- The original line scanned, but this version breaks the rhythm.
Forms
scan · scans · scanned · scanning
scansion noun — Analysis of a poem's metrical pattern.