poem

[poh-uhm]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of poem¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of poem¹

C16: from Latin poēma, from Greek, variant of poiēma something composed, created, from poiein to make

Example Sentences

When Jun recited an ancient Chinese poem in another instance, viewers criticised what they viewed as her wonky accent.

From BBC

And in my own poetry, I’m often using sounds in my poems that I can’t hear, unaided.

From Los Angeles Times

It even has a name: The Second Immortal Dinner, in which Blundy for the first time read his corona, a poem composed as a sequence of sonnets, that had been lost long ago.

From Los Angeles Times

It featured a poem written in Kashmiri, the language spoken in the region.

From BBC

The latter half of the book is focused on Vivien, the wife of the famous writer whose lost poem Metcalfe is obsessively trying to locate.

From BBC

Related Words

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