Acrostic: A word, phrase, or passage spelled out vertically by the first letters of a group of lines in sequence. Sir john davies' hymnes of astraea dedicates 26 acrostic poems to elizabeth i. Edgar allan poe's 'enigma' provides another example. Samuel johnson's great dictionary (1755) quotes john dryden: leave writing plays, and choose for thy command, some peaceful province in acrostick land, there thou may'st wings display, and altars raise, and torture one poor word ten thousand ways.

 

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Acrostic: A word, phrase, or passage spelled out vertically by the first letters of a group of lines in sequence. Sir john davies' hymnes of astraea dedicates 26 acrostic poems to elizabeth i. Edgar a . . . View Full Definition

Alphabet Poem: An acrostic poem of thirteen lines in which each line consists of two words, each word beginning with sequential letters in the alphabetic pattern ABCDEF, etc. Deutsche noteas that many poet . . . View Full Definition

Telestich: Spelling out a word, a phrase, or name vertically in sequence down the last letters of verse lines in a poem. See also acrostic.