poem

American  

[poh-uhm] / ˈpoʊ əm /

noun

1. a composition in verse, especially one that is characterized by a highly developed artistic form and by the use of heightened language and rhythm to express an intensely imaginative interpretation of the subject.

2. composition that, though not in verse, is characterized by great beauty of language or expression.

   a prose poem from the Scriptures; a symphonic poem.

3. something having qualities that are suggestive of or likened to those of poetry.

   Marcel, that chicken cacciatore was an absolute poem.

---

poem British  

/ ˈpəʊɪm /

noun

1. a composition in verse, usually characterized by concentrated and heightened language in which words are chosen for their sound and suggestive power as well as for their sense, and using such techniques as metre, rhyme, and alliteration

2. a literary composition that is not in verse but exhibits the intensity of imagination and language common to it

   a prose poem

3. anything resembling a poem in beauty, effect, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of poem

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin poēma, from Greek poíēma “poem, something made,” from poiē- (variant stem of poieîn “to make”) + -ma, noun suffix

Example Sentences

Two years after Elisha’s death, she wrote her love a poem, “Oh, that I could die and be with thee!”

From Literature

“I thought I was going daft. I thought I might end up wearing a teacup on my head and spouting limerick poems.”

From Literature

I found another in the village and sent Red a poem.

From Literature

This parson’s son wrote some of the finest poems in the history of the language while also achieving international fame and substantial wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If George was ever going to be independent from Hollywood, he thought he wouldn’t get there by making abstract mood poems,” Fischer writes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• sonnet
• verse
• writing