Poet is a person who writes verse, especially epic or lyric poetry, and may also recite it. In everyday use, a poet often evinces a sensitivity to language, imagery, and rhythm. The term can describe both a singular writer and the broader tradition of poetry as an art form. (2-4 sentences, 50-80 words)
"The poet read aloud from a new collection at the bookstore."
"Her poems reveal a poet’s eye for detail and sound."
"The class discussed how a poet’s diction shapes meaning."
"He is regarded as a modern poet who experiments with form and meter."
Poet comes from Middle English poete, from Old French poète, from Latin poēta, from Greek poiētēs meaning ‘maker, author, poet,’ derived from poiein ‘to make.’ The word originally signified a creator of verse and evolved to denote a specific class of writers who compose lyrical language and metrical lines. In classical times, poets were celebrated as public makers of songs and stories, often associated with bards and rhapsodes. By the 16th century, English usage shifted to refer to writers of poetry as a literature category, separate from prose authors. The connotation broadened over centuries to include both the craft of writing poetry and the romanticized notion of the poet as a seer or voice of cultural insight. First known English usage appears in Middle English texts, with attested forms in 14th–15th centuries, aligning with the term’s Greek roots in poiein and poiēsis, ‘to make’ and ‘creating artist.’
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Words that rhyme with "Poet"
-ote sounds
-oat sounds
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Pronounce it PO-et, with primary stress on the first syllable. In IPA for US/UK/AU it’s /ˈpoʊ.ɪt/ or /ˈpoʊ.ɪt/ in US and /ˈpəʊ.ɪt/ in UK/Australia. The second syllable uses a short, lax /ɪ/ or a reduced vowel, so aim for a quick, light end to avoid pronouncing it as ‘po-ayt.’ Mouth positions: start with a rounded /poʊ/ lip rounding and then brief /ɪ/ with a relaxed jaw. Audio reference: think of saying “poe” + “it” swiftly together.
Two common mistakes are: 1) over-pronouncing the second syllable, making it ‘po-ET’ with a clear /eɪ/ sound; 2) treating the word as two full syllables with equal emphasis on both vowels. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable, and produce a quick, reduced /ɪ/ in the second syllable: /ˈpoʊ.ɪt/. Relax the jaw and avoid adding an extra vowel after /ɪ/.
In US, UK, and AU, the first syllable uses a long closing vowel /oʊ/ or /əʊ/. The main difference is vowel quality; US often uses /ˈpoʊ.ɪt/, while UK/AU may lean toward /ˈpəʊ.ɪt/ with a slightly more centralized first vowel. The second syllable remains a short /ɪ/ with reduced emphasis. Rhoticity doesn’t change much here; the r-sound is not involved in the syllable. Overall, the distinction is subtle, with first-syllable vowel length and quality varying slightly by region.
The difficulty lies in the reduced second syllable and the potential for hyper-articulation in the /ɪ/ vowel. English learners often over-articulate the second syllable or misplace the diphthong in the first syllable. The contrast between /poʊ/ and /po/ in connected speech can be subtle, so practice keeping a light, quick /ɪ/ in the second beat and avoiding extra vowel length. IPA cues help anchor the tongue position: /ˈpoʊ.ɪt/.
A unique query might be: Is the second syllable ever pronounced as a full vowel in careful enunciation? In careful, careful reading, you can hear a very brief, almost reduced /ɪ/ rather than a full /ɪt/. Most speakers still produce a reduced schwa-like /ɪ/ quickly, but in careful, deliberate speech you may hear a slightly clearer /ɪ/ without becoming /iː/ or /i/.
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