poet laureate

American  

noun

plural

poets laureate

1. (in Great Britain) a poet appointed for life as an officer of the royal household, formerly expected to write poems in celebration of court and national events.

2. a poet recognized or acclaimed as the most eminent or representative of a country or locality.

3. (formerly) a poet whose efforts were officially recognized, as by a sovereign, university, etc.

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poet laureate British  

noun

1. the poet appointed as court poet of Britain who is given a post as an officer of the Royal Household. The first was Ben Jonson in 1616

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poet laureate Cultural  

1. The national poet in Britain. Historically, the poet laureate's duty has been to compose official poetry for the king's or queen's birthday and for great public occasions, such as victories in war, coronations, and births and weddings in the royal family. The poets laureate of Britain have included Geoffrey Chaucer, William Wordsworth, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

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Discover More

The largely ceremonial position of poet laureate was created in the United States in 1985.

Etymology

Origin of poet laureate

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Ancient, patriarchal and oracular, Tennyson was not merely the poet laureate of England; he was, like his queen, a symbol of the British Empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Decades after her elementary school field trips, as a newly appointed poet laureate for West Hollywood, she envisioned a way to mirror this childhood experience.

From Los Angeles Times

The intimate portrait of Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson, who faces a terminal diagnosis with a spirit of resilience, needed the boost.

From Los Angeles Times

Lee has been the unofficial poet laureate of Brooklyn for nearly four decades, since Do the Right Thing introduced the world to a block of Bedford-Stuyvesant on a scorching summer day.

From The Wall Street Journal

The lyrics are the only giveaway that this is the work of a band in their late middle age - as Cocker, the poet laureate of suburban misfits, sings movingly about stagnation, divorce and mortality.

From BBC