acrostic

Meaninga verse line marked at its tips

Common meaning: a poem whose initials spell a word

acroat the top or tipLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 31 · scan
stica row, line of verseLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 747 · scan

‘at the top or tip’ + ‘a row, line of verse’ → acrostic

Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.

acro — Greek ἄκρος “at the top or tip” (dictionary form; path not traced)
stic — Greek στίχος “a row, line of verse” (dictionary form; path not traced)

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

Origin: Built on Greek ἄκρος ‘at the top or tip’ + Greek στίχος ‘a row, line of verse’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry ἄκρος, p. 31 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

acrobat acronym acropolis

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