Acrostic

Acrostic
Acrostic A*cros"tic, n. [Gr. ?; ? extreme + ? order, line, verse.] 1. A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word, phrase, or motto. [1913 Webster]

2. A Hebrew poem in which the lines or stanzas begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular order (as Psalm cxix.). See {Abecedarian}. [1913 Webster]

{Double acrostic}, a species of enigma (crossword puzzle), in which words are to be guessed whose initial and final letters form other words. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Acrostic — • A poem the initial or final letters of whose verses form certain words or sentences Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Acrostic     Acrostic      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • acrostic — [ə krôs′tik, əkräs′tik] n. [Gr akrostichos < akros (see ACRO ) + stichos, line of verse] a verse or arrangement of words in which certain letters in each line, such as the first or last, when taken in order spell out a word, motto, etc. adj.… …   English World dictionary

  • Acrostic — A*cros tic, Acrostical A*cros tic*al, n. Pertaining to, or characterized by, acrostics. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • acrostic — (n.) short poem in which the initial letters of the lines, taken in order, spell a word or phrase, 1580s, from M.L. acrostichis, from Gk. akrostikhis, from akros at the end, outermost (see ACRID (Cf. acrid)) + stikhos line of verse, lit. row (see …   Etymology dictionary

  • acrostic — ► NOUN ▪ a poem or puzzle in which certain letters in each line form a word or words. ORIGIN Greek akrostikhis, from akron end + stikhos row, line of verse …   English terms dictionary

  • Acrostic — This article is about a type of poem. For the word puzzle, see Acrostic (puzzle). An acrostic (Greek: ákros top ; stíchos verse ) is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other… …   Wikipedia

  • acrostic — acrostically, adv. /euh kraw stik, euh kros tik/, n. 1. a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc. adj. 2. Also, acrostical. of, like, or forming an… …   Universalium

  • acrostic — n. 1 a poem or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words. 2 a word puzzle constructed in this way. Phrases and idioms: double acrostic one using the first and last letters of each line. single acrostic one using …   Useful english dictionary

  • acrostic — UK [əˈkrɒstɪk] / US [əˈkrɔstɪk] noun [countable] Word forms acrostic : singular acrostic plural acrostics a number of lines of writing, for example a poem or a word puzzle, in which particular letters from each line form a word or phrase …   English dictionary

  • acrostic — noun Etymology: Middle French & Greek; Middle French acrostiche, from Greek akrostichis, from akr acr + stichos line; akin to steichein to go more at stair Date: 1530 1. a composition usually in verse in which sets of letters (as the initial or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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