acrostic

American  

[uh-kraw-stik, uh-kros-tik] / əˈkrɔ stɪk, əˈkrɒs tɪk /

noun

1. a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.

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adjective

1. Also acrostical of, like, or forming an acrostic.

acrostic British  

/ əˈkrɒstɪk /

noun

1. 1. a number of lines of writing, such as a poem, certain letters of which form a word, proverb, etc. A single acrostic is formed by the initial letters of the lines, a double acrostic by the initial and final letters, and a triple acrostic by the initial, middle, and final letters

   2. the word, proverb, etc, so formed

   3. ( as modifier )

      an acrostic sonnet

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Usage

What is an acrostic? An acrostic is a series of lines of writing or verses of poetry in which certain letters can be read from a word or phrase. Here is an example of an acrostic in which the first letter of each word creates another word (dogs):DependableObedientGood FriendsSmartAn acrostic doesn’t have to use the letters of the first words of a line, however. The letters could be from words in the middle or at the end of lines, as well. The letters of the “hidden message” are typically capitalized (food):Made FreshHealthy OnlyDouble OrderTastes DeliciousThere are three types of acrostics. An acrostic that uses the initial letters is called a single acrostic (cat):CuriousAttentiveTenaciousAn acrostic that uses the first and last letters of a line is called a double acrostic (bird song):Beautiful chirping soundsI love the audioRelaxes my brainDelightful listeningA triple acrostic uses the first letter, last letter, and a middle letter to form words. The adjective form of acrostic is acrostical, as in The poem was acrostical.

Other Word Forms

• acrostically adverb

Etymology

Origin of acrostic

1580–90; < Greek akrostichís, equivalent to akro- acro- + stích ( os ) stich ¹ + -is noun suffix

Explanation

Did you ever compose a poem in which you wrote a word vertically down the page and started each line with one of the letters in that word? That was an acrostic poem. A word that
Can be spelled so that it
Reads from top to bottom
Or across, as a poem
Sometimes is very clever.
That's an acrostic poem.
It can also refer to a puzzle.
Cool, isn't it?

Example Sentences

The poem employs the form of a double acrostic - meaning the first letter of each line spells out Elizabeth when taken together.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2022

He composed a melody and set an acrostic poem to it, with the first letter of each line spelling the name “Igor” in Russian.

From New York Times • May 6, 2022

The Empress saw that acrostic sonnet as one of the “poems of the week” on the website of the journal Light and ding!

From Washington Post • Oct. 14, 2020

As someone who doesn’t start his day with a crossword or, heaven forbid, an acrostic, I felt as though I had wandered into a tribe of idle eggheads.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2020

I say, “This is him, Calvin. This is Benny Kilmartin. He wrote the acrostic poem. The one in my room. You remember?”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor