poesis
[poˈeː.sɪs]feminine
The Latin word for poetry is poesis.
poesis refers to literature composed in verse.
Meaning: literature composed in verse (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
poesis is a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- While poesis describes the art, Roman poets often referred to their actual work as carmina. This word shares a root with 'charm' because poetry was once believed to have magical powers.
- Unlike English poetry, which often relies on rhyme, classical Latin poesis relied on the length of vowel sounds to create a meter. A syllable was considered 'long' or 'short' regardless of the stress.
- The concept of poesis in the classical world was often viewed as a form of divine inspiration, implying that the poet was not just writing, but actually 'making' through a connection to the gods.
Examples in context
- Amor est poesis sensuum.Love is the poetry of the senses.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe love as a form of poetry.Tatoeba #13977436 by carlosalberto, translation #3071883 by carlosalberto
- Magnum poema scribere desideroI desire to write a great poem
- Legebam carmen elegiacumI was reading an elegiac poem
- Hodiernum carmen, quod scriptum est, mihi placet valde!I really like today's poem that was written!
Example conversation
Lucia and Marcus are discussing their interests at a library.
- LuciaMarce, placetne tibi poesis?Marcus, do you like poetry?
- MarcusIta, poesis mihi valde placet.Yes, I like poetry very much.
- LuciaEgo quoque eam amo.I love it too.
- MarcusOptime, mox librum legemus.Great, we will read a book soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poetry” translations and entries poesis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
