Glossary of Poetic Terms

Poesy is an archaic word for the craft of poetry, used beginning in the 14th century. Derived from the ancient Greek word for poetry, poiesis, meaning “the act of creation or making,” poesy was commonly used to describe verse even up to the early 20th century. Several canonical essays refer to poetry as poesy, including Sir Philip Sidney’s “The Defense of Poesie” written in 1595 and John Dryden’s “An Essay of Dramatic Poesy” (1668).