nounictus, ictuses

• 1Prosody
  A rhythmical or metrical stress.

  ‘His great authority, Cresollius, disapproved of orators using ‘ictus or musicall cadence of the fingers’ in free prose, ‘though it may be tollerable for the setting of the intervalls of restrained numbers.’’

  More example sentences

  • ‘He also adopted the percussion stop, with which a tiny hammer strikes the reed to give it an initial ictus and so avoid the characteristic rather mushy beginning of the sound.’

  Synonyms

  stress, emphasis, accentuation, force, prominence

• 2Medicine
  A stroke or seizure; a fit.

  ‘More typically ictal symptoms of depression are followed by alteration of consciousness as the ictus evolves from a simple to a complex partial seizure.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The method involves the application of a cold thermal material to the back of the person during ictus (seizure).’

  Synonyms

  convulsion, spasm, paroxysm, collapse, sudden illness, attack, fit, bout