Dictionary
scan•sion
Pronunciation: (skan'shun), [key]—
n. Pros.
the metrical analysis of verse. The usual marks for scansion are ˘ for a short or unaccented syllable, ¯ or ' for a long or accented syllable, ^ for a rest, | for a foot division, and || for a caesura or pause.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.