poet.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Grammar and Dictionary

poet.
Stands forPoetic
CategoriesWriting & Everyday

poet. stands for Poetic, a grammar and dictionary abbreviation.

Labels words used mainly in poetry or highly literary writing, such as "o'er," "ere" or "eventide." Dictionaries add it to show the word would sound strange in ordinary prose.

Example: ere (prep., conj.) poet. or archaic before: "ere the sun sets"

Usage notes

Poetic vocabulary overlaps heavily with archaic words, since poets kept older forms for meter and rhyme long after speech moved on. Contracted forms like "o'er" and "e'en" fit a line's syllable count. Some dictionaries combine the labels as "poet./literary."

More grammar and dictionary abbreviations

  • ON – Old Norse
  • orig. – Originally
  • part. – Participle
  • pass. – Passive
  • PIE – Proto-Indo-European
  • pl. – Plural
  • POS – Part of speech
  • poss. – Possessive
  • pp. – Past participle
  • pred. – Predicative
  • prep. – Preposition
  • pres. – Present (tense)

See all 93 grammar and dictionary abbreviations →

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