Poetolatry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An overwhelming reverence for poets and their works denotes a cultural or individual admiration that elevates poetry to a form of worship
2. This term reflects a strong emotional attachment to poets, celebrating their contributions and elevating poetry as an art form
3. A profound admiration for poets and their artistry symbolizes a cultural or personal devotion that serves to elevate the practice of poetry to a sacred status

Etymology: C. S. Lewis appears to have coined "poetolatry" in 1936, and the word was built deliberately as a mocking label rather than arising from common speech. It combines "poet," from Greek "poiētēs" (a maker or creator, and originally just one who makes things), with "-olatry," a suffix from Greek "latreia," meaning worship or service. The "-latry" ending is the same one found in "idolatry," which makes the coinage a pointed joke: worshipping poets is treated as a form of idolatry. The word was aimed at a particular habit of mind, the tendency to treat poets and their art as sacred, as if poetry were a religion in itself. Lewis used the coinage to criticise this attitude, and the term has stayed in use as a playful but pointed way to describe it.