acmeism

9.9

A Russian poetry movement from the early 1900s that focuses on clear, concrete images and exact language

noun
/ˈækmiˌɪzəm/

Literature

: acmeísmo

The Russian school of poetry known as acmeism emphasizes clarity and concrete imagery.

Examples

This idea of progress had the power to suggest a new aesthetic and gave birth to innovative artistic movements: symbolism, futurism, acmeism, and constructivism.

Academic text (2008)
Zamiatin's theory could be seen as belonging to the group of Post-Symbolist poetics (the most prominent being Futurism and Acmeism) that can be interpreted either as breaks with Symbolism or as developments from the latter in various directions.

Academic text (2000)
By contrast with certain other Post-Symbolist poetics (Futurism and Acmeism among them), Zamiatin's Neorealism has never served as a basis for a recognized movement.

Academic text (2000)
As Lotman points out, it was characteristic of both Symbolism and Post-Symbolist movements such as Futurism and Acmeism to refuse to treat the linguistic patterns as the embodiment of everyday reality and the semantic system of language as a structure of the visible world.

Academic text (2000)
In the early 20th century, acmeism emerged as a movement that valued precise language in poetry.
Many poets affiliated with acmeism worked to distinguish their art from the more abstract Symbolism.

Surface Forms

acmeism singular

acmeisms plural

Morphology

acmeism = acme (semi-transparent) = acme + ism

Formed from 'acme' + the nominal suffix '-ism'; the components are clear but the term names a specific Russian literary movement, which is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Acmeism comes from the Greek root akme, which means 'point' or 'peak', and is the same root as the English word acme ('the highest point'). So acmeism was the name given to a group of Russian poets who aimed for the 'peak' of clear, exact language and strong images in their work.