poesy

American  

[poh-uh-see, -zee] / ˈpoʊ ə si, -zi /

noun

poesies plural

1. the work or the art of poetic composition.

2. Archaic.

   1. poetry in general.

   2. verse or poetry in metrical form.

3. Obsolete.

   1. a poem or verse used as a motto.

   2. a poem.

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poesy British  

/ ˈpəʊɪzɪ /

noun

1. an archaic word for poetry

2. poetic the art of writing poetry

3. archaic a poem or verse, esp one used as a motto

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• poesies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of poesy

1300–50; Middle English poesie < Middle French < Latin poēsis < Greek poíēsis poetic art, poetry, literally, a making, equivalent to poiē-, variant stem of poieîn to make + -sis -sis

Explanation

Poesy is a category of literature that includes rhythmic or rhyming verse. You might feel a little shy about your own attempts at poesy, especially if every single one of your verses starts with the line "Roses are red, violets are blue..." If you need an old-fashioned way to talk about poetry or the art of writing poems, use poesy. You can tell your English teacher you prefer poesy to prose, especially if you're partial to short, rhyming poems. Back in the 14th century, this word was a common way to refer to the craft of writing verse. It comes from the Greek root poesis, "poetry" or "a making."

Example Sentences

The White Album’s tonal and visual proximities begin with The Pure and the Damned, the music video from Oneohtrix Point Never featuring Iggy Pop’s eerie poesy, from the 2017 film Good Time.

From The Guardian • Dec. 11, 2018

Costner delivers Dutton’s threats, pleas, and cowboy poesy in a rasp.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 20, 2018

To learn grammar was to appreciate the book’s poesy, which in turn was to break open a once-inaccessible text.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2017

An unusual woman’s ring here from 1592, made of gold and rock crystal, is called a “memorial poesy ring”; on its inner surface is inscribed, “The cruel seas, remember, took him in November.”

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2010

The fierce wars against the Moors were ended, and as after a storm the flowers are most fragrant, so poesy ever blooms most grandly after a civil war.

From The Prose Writings of Heinrich Heine by Heine, Heinrich