Noun
The stress of voice laid upon accented syllable of a word. Cf. Arsis.
A stroke or blow, as in a sunstroke, the sting of an insect, pulsation of an artery, etc.
Source: Webster's dictionaryhe suffered an epileptic seizure Source: Internet
Note how the word endings do not coincide with the end of a metrical foot; for the early part of the line this forces the natural accent of each word to lie in the middle of a foot, playing against the natural rhythm of the ictus. Source: Internet
Similarly, the second syllable of the words urbem main and Romam main carry the metrical ictus even though the first is naturally stressed in typical pronunciation. Source: Internet
The initial syllable of either foot is called the ictus, the basic "beat" of the verse. Source: Internet
There is usually a caesura after the ictus of the third foot. Source: Internet
There seems to be great debate over whether Plautus found favor in strong word accent or verse ictus, stress. Source: Internet