poet laureate

noun

, plural poets laureate.

1. (in Great Britain) a poet appointed for life as an officer of the royal household, formerly expected to write poems in celebration of court and national events.
2. a poet recognized or acclaimed as the most eminent or representative of a country or locality.
3. (formerly) a poet whose efforts were officially recognized, as by a sovereign, university, etc.

poet laureate

noun

1. the poet appointed as court poet of Britain who is given a post as an officer of the Royal Household. The first was Ben Jonson in 1616

poet laureate

1. The national poet in Britain . Historically, the poet laureate's duty has been to compose official poetry for the king's or queen's birthday and for great public occasions, such as victories in war, coronations, and births and weddings in the royal family. The poets laureate of Britain have included Geoffrey Chaucer , William Wordsworth , and Alfred, Lord Tennyson .

Notes

The largely ceremonial position of poet laureate was created in the United States in 1985.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poet laureate¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Nemerov is connected to Greenberg through his father, the poet Howard Nemerov, a lion of mid-century American culture who served two terms as the country’s poet laureate.

From Washington Post

This year, we’ll be hanging on the every word of a poet laureate, for the first time in football history.

From FiveThirtyEight

Former poet laureate Robert Pinsky remembers how funny his friend could be.

From The Daily Beast

At his side, volunteering to help the wounded, is the poet laureate of the American Civil War himself, Walt Whitman.

From The Daily Beast

In 2011 the judges came under fire for a shortlist many, including the former poet laureate Andrew Motion, deemed too “readable.”

From The Daily Beast

For the celebration, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was commissioned to write an ode to the monument.

From The Daily Beast

News of the World by our new poet laureate, Philip Levine, makes you think about what unites us and what our common purpose is.

From The Daily Beast

At the Floral Games he who is crowned poet-laureate chooses the Queen, and she crowns him with a wreath of olive leaves.

From Project Gutenberg

Robert Bridges, the present poet-laureate, also deserves especial mention.

From Project Gutenberg

After the death of his friend Southey, the mantle of the Poet Laureate fell upon him.

From Project Gutenberg

She would have spoken in the same way to prince or poet-laureate, and would have pleased either as much as the blacksmith.

From Project Gutenberg

"To America," included by permission of the Poet Laureate, is a good poem and a great poem.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Poet Laureate

What is a poet laureate?

Poet laureate is a title given to a poet in recognition of their poetry. The title originated in Great Britain but in modern times, countries, states, cities, and similar places, including Tribal nations, name poet laureates.

Great Britain’s poet laureate holds the title for the remainder of their life and there is only one poet laureate at a time. They are an officer of the royal family of Great Britain, receiving a salary, although in modern times they no longer have official duties.

The poet laureate of the United States is appointed by the Librarian of Congress and serves a one-year term, promoting poetry nationally. All but five US states have state poets laureate and many cities honor poets this way as well.

Example: The city’s poet laureate has been covering the local unrest in her series of freeform poems.

Where does poet laureate come from?

The first records of the term poet laureate come from the mid-1300s. It combines the word poet, meaning “a person who creates poetry,” and laureate, meaning “a person honored for distinction in a field.”

The first official poet laureate of Great Britain, Ben Jonson, was appointed in 1616. Formerly, poet laureates were expected to write poetry for birthdays or anniversaries of members of the royal family, but Queen Victoria ended that practice in 1843, when she appointed William Wordsworth as poet laureate.

Other notable poet laureates include Geoffrey Chaucer in Great Britain and Robert Frost and Gwendolyn Brooks in the US.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to poet laureate?

• poets laureate (plural)

What are some words that share a root or word element with poet laureate?

• laureate
• poet

What are some words that often get used in discussing poet laureate?

• honor
• appointed
• poem
• position

How is poet laureate used in real life?

Poet laureate most often is used to refer to an appointed position.

"I liked the idea that a poem was small enough that it could get inside of you and stay." —Tracy K. Smith, U.S. Poet Laureate

— Jen Benka (@jenbenka) June 14, 2017

RIP & Godspeed Ron Hynes. The Poet Laureate of Newfoundland and Labrador, the man of a thousand songs has died.

— Rick Mercer (@rickmercer) November 20, 2015

Congratulations to Los Angeles's new poet laureate, Robin Coste Lewis! 🎈🎉📚

— Kima Jones 🫘 (@kima_jones) April 27, 2017

 

Try using poet laureate!

True or False?

The poet laureate for the United States serves for four years.