Poetry Glossary - Understand Poetry Terms

Term	Definition	Example
Klippe	In Scandinavian poetry, a term used to describe a sudden and abrupt ending or transition in the poem.	This technique is often used to create a dramatic effect or to emphasize the finality of a statement.
Knittelvers	A German poetic form characterized by simple language, regular meter, and frequent use of rhymed couplets.	Knittelvers was commonly used in medieval German drama and narrative poetry.
Kundiman	A traditional Filipino love song or poem that expresses deep, often unrequited love.	Kundiman often features themes of love and loss, with a melancholic tone.
Kural	A couplet form used in Tamil literature, specifically in the "Tirukkural", consisting of two lines with a 4-3 syllable pattern.	The "Tirukkural" is a classic text composed of 1,330 kurals.
Kyrielle	A French poetic form composed of quatrains with a refrain at the end of each stanza.	A traditional kyrielle might end each stanza with the line, "Lord, have mercy on us all."
Lament	A passionate expression of grief or sorrow, often in poetic form.	"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
Lament	A passionate expression of grief or sorrow, often in a song or poem.	Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is a lament.
Light Verse	Poetry intended to entertain or amuse, often with a playful or humorous tone.	Ogden Nash's poetry is a good example of light verse.
Limerick	A humorous five-line poem with a rhyme scheme of AABBA.	"There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said, 'It is just as I feared.'"
Litotes	A figure of speech that employs understatement by using double negatives or, in other words, positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite expressions.	"Not bad" as a litotes for "good."

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.