Poet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊ.ɪt/

Definitions

1. An individual who creates literary works characterized by expressive language and structured verse that evoke emotions and convey ideas
2. A creator of written compositions that use rhythm and imagery to express feelings or thoughts in a format often adhering to specific forms or styles
3. One who crafts verses and lyrical works that utilize emotive language and artistic expression to communicate profound ideas or sentiments

Etymology: The Greek word "poiētḗs" meant "maker" in the most literal sense: someone who made or built things, and only later someone who composed verse. Its root "poiéō" meant "to make," which is why the same family of words in Greek covered carpentry and craft as well as song. The Romans borrowed it as "poēta," and it reached English through Old French "poete" in the Middle Ages. English had its own word first. Old English speakers used "sċop," a word related to "shape" and "create," and a compound "lēoþwyrhta," which meant something like "song-worker" or "poem-maker." Both were pushed out by the Greek-derived term, which arrived with the learned vocabulary of medieval Europe and gradually became the standard word for someone who writes verse. The word also has a doublet, "piyyut," a term for Jewish liturgical poetry, which descends from the same Greek source through a separate route into Hebrew.

Synonyms: verse-maker, bard, lyricist, sonneteer, rhymer

Antonyms: prose writer, ordinary person