Mora (definition)

in some languages syllables have different lengths. Some syllables are considered longer or heavier and others are lighter or shorter. One way syllables might be assigned their mora is by the length of their vowels short vowels are considered to have short mora and those with longer vowels have heavier mora. In metrics this term refers to the smallest unit of metric time and weight.

References

Crystal, David. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. The language library. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1997.

Matthews, P. H. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.