poetry

/ˈpoʊətri/

/ˈpʌʊɛtri/

Other forms: poetries

Poetry is a form of literature that follows specific forms to create a rhythm and/or rhyme scheme. Without those elements we have the poetic form known as “free verse,” but it retains an elevated language that still makes it poetry.

The noun poetry goes all the way back to the Latin poesis, meaning both "poetry" and "making." It usually refers to the specific genre of poetic works, a wide variety of styles tied together by the structured use of the language, but is also used to describe any especially beautiful language. The French writer Voltaire once said, “Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls.”

Definitions of poetry

1. noun

   literature in metrical form
   synonyms: poesy, verse

   types:

   epos

   a body of poetry that conveys the traditions of a society by treating some epic theme

   epic poetry, heroic poetry

   a literary work celebrating the deeds of some hero

   type of:

   genre, literary genre, writing style

   a style of expressing yourself in writing
2. noun

   any communication resembling poetry in beauty or the evocation of feeling
   type of:

   expressive style, style

   a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period