"Discover the language of poetry, from alliteration to zeugma."
Showing 273 poetry terms
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fable | A short poem or story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral. | Aesop's fables, such as "The Tortoise and the Hare", are famous examples. |
| Feminine Rhyme | A rhyme involving two syllables, as in "motion" and "ocean". | "I kidnapped some weasels / And now I have the measles." |
| Foot | The basic unit of measurement of a meter in poetry. | "An iamb is a foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable." |
| Found Poetry | Poetry created by taking existing texts and rearranging or modifying them to create new meaning. | Found poetry might use newspaper headlines or instruction manuals as source material. |
| Free Verse | Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter. | Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is a famous example of free verse. |
| Galliambic | A form of classical meter used in Latin and Greek poetry, characterized by a distinctive rhythm suitable for certain types of hymns or invocations. | The poet employed galliambic meter in his hymn, its rhythm echoing the ancient prayers of the past. |
| Genre | A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. | The poet’s work spanned multiple genres, from lyric poems to epic narratives. |
| Georgic | A type of didactic poetry that deals with agricultural and rural topics, often with the intention of providing instruction or promoting the virtues of rural life. | The poet’s georgic celebrated the hard work of farmers, with vivid descriptions of planting and harvest. |
| Ghazal | A form of poetry originating in Arabic poetry, composed of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. Often focused on themes of love, loss, and mysticism. | The poet penned a ghazal that spoke of unrequited love, each couplet echoing the pain of separation. |
| Gleeman | A medieval entertainer who performed songs, stories, and poetry, often accompanying himself on a harp or other instrument. | The gleeman traveled from village to village, his songs and poems bringing joy to those who listened. |
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
• Search "sonnet" to see all types
• Look for related terms like "quatrain" and "couplet"