line of poetry
1
3.5
- noun
- /laɪn əv ˈpoʊətri/
- Literature
:
verso
- Frequently, it has been argued that the memorization of lines of poetry improves the memory.
Examples
-
She reaches far down inside and the line of poetry floats up.
Fiction book (1996) -
My favorite line of poetry: Do not go gentle into that good night
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Or why should great compression of thought always result in a line of poetry?
Fiction book (1994) -
Heather had a line of poetry stuck in her head.
Fiction book (1998) -
Maggie recited her favorite lines of poetry very fast into the wind.
Fiction book (1992) -
Rising from the table, she once again pondered the significance of the lines of poetry.
Fiction book (1998) -
And in terms of the line of poetry, why does the poet use the word hare rather than rabbit?
-
Once a category has been selected, have the students try to generate lines of poetry that include the topics listed on the chalkboard.
Academic text (1997) -
A good prose sentence should be like a good line of poetry—unchangeable, just as rhythmic, just as sonorous.
Fiction book (1994) -
I often find inspiration in a beautiful line of poetry that resonates with my feelings.
Synonyms
215
3.4
A set of lines in a poem or song
1
4.0
A single row of words that is part of a poem
1
9.9
A single line of a poem often found in classical poetry
A single line of a poem with its own rhythm
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a single row of words in a poem' is directly and compositionally derived from 'line' (a row or division) + 'of' (of/possession) + 'poetry' (verse); the noun-of-noun pattern transparently signals a type or part of poetry. This is a common, cross-linguistic construction and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Line of poetry comes from the old idea of a line as a 'thread' or a marked rule on the page. One popular story says writers thought of words as a 'thread' running across the paper or followed a marked 'line', so each row of words became its own part. That's why a line of poetry now means a single row of words with its own rhythm or meaning.