poetry | ˈpəʊɪtri |
noun [mass noun]
literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature: he felt a desire to investigate through poetry the subjects of pain and death | she glanced at the papers and saw some lines of poetry | he is chiefly famous for his love poetry.
• a quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems: poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music.
• something regarded as comparable to poetry in its beauty: the music department is housed in a building which is pure poetry.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from medieval Latin poetria, from Latin poeta ‘poet’. In early use the word sometimes referred to creative literature in general.