poetry
n.-
1 literary form (n.) B1 Intermediatewriting that uses rhythm and often rhyme to share feelings or ideas.
literature written in verse, often employing rhythmic patterns, imagery, and metaphorical language to convey emotional or philosophical meaning.
ExampleShe loves reading poetry before she goes to sleep at night.
ExampleThe professor argued that modern poetry often abandons traditional rhyme schemes in favour of free verse and internal rhythm.
UsageUncountable in this sense; you cannot say 'a poetry' to mean a single poem.
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2 a poet's work (n.) B2 Upper Intermediateall the poems written by a specific person.
the collective body of work produced by a specific poet.
ExampleWe spent the whole semester studying the poetry of Robert Frost.
ExampleThe exhibition explores how the poet's later poetry reflects a growing preoccupation with mortality and the passage of time.
- oeuvre
- writings
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3 graceful quality (n.) C1 Advanced Literarya quality of beauty or grace that makes you feel a strong emotion.
an aesthetic or artistic quality in any medium that evokes a profound emotional response or displays exceptional elegance.
ExampleThere was a kind of poetry in the way the dancer moved across the stage.
ExampleCritics praised the film for its visual poetry, noting how the director used light and shadow to tell a story without dialogue.
- clumsiness
- ugliness
From Middle English poetrye, poetrie, a borrowing from Old French pöeterie, pöetrie, from Medieval Latin poētria, from poēta (“poet”), from Ancient Greek ποιητής (poiētḗs, “poet; author; maker”). Displaced native Old English lēoþcræft.