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Literature vocabulary · Genres and Forms

Acrostic

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, acrostic means: A poem or text whose selected letters, often line initials, spell a word or message.

In Turkish: akrostiş

How it is used

Use when analyzing a hidden name or message made by a consistent letter pattern.

Example sentences

  1. The acrostic spells the sister's name down the left side of the poem.

    Reading the initial letters vertically reveals the sister's name.

  2. We checked each line because the damaged acrostic seemed to hide a place name.

    The letter pattern helps reconstruct a message in a damaged text.

Common collocations

  • acrostic poem
  • compose an acrostic
  • poemA single piece of writing in lines, often with a regular rhythm or rhyme, that expresses an experience, feeling or idea through carefully chosen language.
  • textAny written work studied as language and meaning, from a poem or novel to a speech, article, or play.

More terms: Genres and Forms

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