acrostic

[ uh-kraw-stik, uh-kros-tik ]
See synonyms for acrostic on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.

adjective
  1. Also a·cros·ti·cal [uh-kraws-ti-kuhl, -kros-] /əˈkrɔs tɪ kəl, -ˈkrɒs-/ . of, like, or forming an acrostic.

Origin of acrostic

1
1580–90; <Greek akrostichís, equivalent to akro-acro- + stích(os) stich1 + -is noun suffix

Other words from acrostic

  • a·cros·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby acrostic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use acrostic in a sentence

  • Neither the acrostic nor the Alexandrine has the property assigned to it here.

    Essays | Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza;—read it forward, backward, or across, it still spells the same thing.

    Essays, First Series | Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for acrostic

acrostic

/ (əˈkrɒstɪk) /


noun
    • a number of lines of writing, such as a poem, certain letters of which form a word, proverb, etc. A single acrostic is formed by the initial letters of the lines, a double acrostic by the initial and final letters, and a triple acrostic by the initial, middle, and final letters

    • the word, proverb, etc, so formed

    • (as modifier): an acrostic sonnet

Origin of acrostic

1
C16: via French from Greek akrostikhis, from acro- + stikhos line of verse, stich

Derived forms of acrostic

  • acrostically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012