"Discover the language of poetry, from alliteration to zeugma."
Found 15 terms starting with "E"
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Eclogue | A short pastoral poem, often in dialogue form. | Virgil's "Eclogues" are classic examples of this form. |
| Elegiac Stanza | A quatrain in iambic pentameter with an ABAB rhyme scheme, used for elegies. | Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is an example. |
| Elegy | A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead. | Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is an elegy for Abraham Lincoln. |
| End-Stopped | A line of poetry in which a grammatical pause and the physical end of the line coincide. | "Bright star, would I were as steadfast as thou art—" |
| Enjambment | The continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. | "April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain." |
| Envoi | A short concluding stanza found at the end of certain poetic forms, particularly the ballade. | The envoi typically addresses the poem to a specific person or patron. |
| Epic | A long narrative poem, often written about a hero or heroic deeds. | Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" are epic poems. |
| Epigram | A brief, witty, and often paradoxical saying or poem. | "I can resist everything except temptation." - Oscar Wilde |
| Epistle | A poem in the form of a letter or series of letters. | Alexander Pope's "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" is a famous example. |
| Epistrophe | The repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences. | "Where now? Who now? When now?" |
Our comprehensive Poetry Glossary, designed for students, teachers, and poetry enthusiasts alike. Whether you're delving into poetic forms, exploring rhyme schemes, or understanding the nuances of metrical feet, our glossary is an essential resource to enhance your study of poetry.
Our glossary covers a wide range of poetry terms, from alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds, to the structure of free verse, which flows without a fixed metrical pattern. Learn about how stressed and unstressed syllables form the foundation of metrical feet, or explore how a rhyme scheme organizes the pattern of sounds at the end of lines in a poem.
Use the search function to quickly find terms like group of lines in a stanza or the repetition of sounds in a poem or section. Whether you're looking to understand how a series of words creates rhythmic patterns or how the number of syllables affects the flow of a line of poetry, our glossary has the definitions and examples you need.
Finding terms is easy:
Tip: Try searching for "rhyme," "meter," or "sonnet" to get started!
Every entry includes three key parts:
Iambic Pentameter: A rhythm pattern of 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed-stressed.
Example: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (Shakespeare)
Note: Most common meter in English sonnets.
Our examples help you see poetry terms in action:
Our glossary covers all major areas of poetry:
Rhyme schemes, meter, alliteration, assonance
Metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism
Sonnets, haikus, villanelles, free verse
Stanzas, lines, caesura, enjambment
Sonnets are one of poetry's most beloved forms. Here's how to explore them:
Structure: 3 quatrains + 1 couplet
Rhyme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Famous: "Shall I compare thee..."
Structure: 1 octave + 1 sestet
Rhyme: ABBAABBA CDECDE
Origin: Italian tradition
• Click "S" in the alphabetical menu
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• Look for related terms like "quatrain" and "couplet"