acrostic
noun

- a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words

- a composition usually in verse in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines) taken in order form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet

- a text, usually a poem, in which particular letters, such as the first letters of each line, spell a word or phrase

Oxford Languages, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek ἀκρο- (akro-) - meaning "at the tip, outermost, highest" and στίχος (stichos) – meaning "line, verse, or row”.

It entered English in the late 16th century (around 1580) via French acrostiche or Late Latin acrostichis,  both ultimately from the Greek akrostichos.

The word was borrowed into English in the 1580s from Middle French.

The root "akro-" is also found in other words like "acrophobia" (fear of heights), “acrobat" (walking at heights), and "acronym" (a word formed from the first letters of a phrase, e.g., NASA, NATO, NDA, NYSE, and OWAD).

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A BOAT BENEATH A SUNNY SKY

At the end of 'Through the Looking-Glass' (1871), Lewis Carroll included an acrostic poem spelling out "Alice Pleasance Liddell", his real-life inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.

But the poem is more than just a farewell to Alice Pleasance Liddell—it's a brilliant reflection on time, memory, and the transient nature of childhood and dreams:

'A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky'
(An acrostic poem for A L I C E  P L E A S A N C E  L I D D E L L )

A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July—

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear—

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream—
Lingering in the golden gleam—
Life, what is it but a dream?

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SYNONYMS

ACROSTIC, alphabet cipher (poem, puzzle, verse), coded composition (message, poem, verse), concealed/encrypted message, cryptographic text, disguised writing, embedded text, encoded poetry, hidden meaning (message, structure, word poem), initial letter poem (puzzle), letter-coded poem, letterplay, literary cipher, masked words, mystery text, name cipher, patterned verse, poetic cipher (code, device, form, puzzle, riddle), puzzle poem, secret alphabet (message), sequential lettering, spelling poem, structured verse, vertical code (hidden message, puzzle, verse), word enigma (game, play, puzzle)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation—explain how the following acrostic sentence is actually a definition of acrostics:

“Acrostics Cunningly Reveal Obscure Secrets, Tantalizing Intellectual Curiosity.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga—my lovely wife and coaching partner, and our eagle-eyed daughter, Jennifer.

It remains FREE, AD-FREE, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

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Thanks so much,

Paul, Helga, & Jenny Smith

- Feedback, questions, new word suggestions to: paul@smith.de

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