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poet laureate

poet laureate

7 7.9
A poet officially chosen to represent a country or town and write poems for special events
  • noun
  • /ˈpoʊɪt ˈlɔːriət/
  • Literature
translation icon : poeta laureado
  • Joy Harjo, the Indigenous poet laureate of the United States.
  • Wisconsin's poet laureate

Time magazine just released their new cover featuring Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.

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Examples

  • Summer learning, a poem by future poet laureate

    Academic text (2006)
  • Marilyn Taylor is Wisconsin's poet laureate.

    Academic text (2009)
  • And even your poet laureate.

  • The poet laureate of Dogwood Lane.

  • Time magazine just released their new cover featuring Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.

  • Over the next few weeks, you'll be hearing poems from four finalists for the national youth poet laureate award.

  • Marilyn Taylor, a contributing editor at The Writer, is Wisconsin's poet laureate.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The Italian poet laureate considered his Rime as his juvenile trifles, for he believed that good literature must be written in Latin.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The poem was an instant success and surely played a large role in Tennyson's appointment (following the death of Wordsworth) as poet laureate later in 1850.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Joy Harjo is celebrated as the poet laureate of the United States, known for her impactful work.

How Skilled

poet laureate
  • Literature
7 7.9
poet
567 2.2
poetizer
  • Offensive
9.9
dabbler
4 6.7

Surface Forms

poet laureate singular

Morphology

poet + laureate

The compound is directly built from 'poet' (a person who writes poems) + 'laureate' (someone formally awarded or honored), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a poet who has been officially or honorarily recognized. The compositional logic is straightforward and occurs across languages, making the meaning predictable for learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Poet laureate comes from an old custom of putting a ring of laurel leaves on a poet's head like a small green crown to show respect. That's why a poet laureate today is a poet 'officially' chosen to 'represent' or honor a group or country.