A
mora (plural
morae or
moras; often symbolized
µ) is a unit in
phonology that determines
syllable weight, which in some languages determines
stress or
timing. The definition of a mora varies. In 1968, American linguist
James D. McCawley defined it as "something of which a long syllable consists of two and a short syllable consists of one". The term comes from the
Latin word for "linger, delay", which was also used to translate the Greek word
chronos (time) in its
metrical sense.