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monostich

monostich

9.9
A poem that has only one line
  • noun
  • /ˈmɒnəˌstɪk/
  • Literature
translation icon : monóstico
  • In her latest collection, she included a beautiful monostich that captured the essence of love.

Examples

  • You've got to get the monostich right.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The instructor explained how a monostich can convey deep emotions with just one line.

  • During the poetry reading, he recited a poignant monostich that resonated with the audience.

Synonyms

line of poetry
vsmonostich
  • Literature
1 3.5

A single row of words in a poem that forms meaning or rhythm

refers to an entire poem that contains only that single line
stich
vsmonostich
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A single line of a poem often found in classical poetry

is a whole poem made from a single line
line of verse
vsmonostich
  • Literature
1 4.0

A single row of words that is part of a poem

denotes an independent poem made up of a single line
stichic
vsmonostich
  • Literature
9.9

A single line of a poem

is a whole poem composed of only one line
verse line
vsmonostich
  • Literature
5.4

A single line of a poem with its own rhythm

is used when the poem consists of just that one line

Surface Forms

monostich singular
monostichs plural

Morphology

monostich = stich (semi-transparent) = mono + stich

The meaning is compositionally 'one line of verse', but the root 'stich' is a rare literary term that many learners will not know.

Etymology

Monostich comes from Greek parts mono- 'one' and -stich 'line'. So it literally means a 'one-line' poem, and you can remember mono- from words like monologue or monochrome that also use 'one'.