Acrostic
/əˈkrɒs.tɪk/noun
A poem, puzzle, or other text in which certain letters form a word or message.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek poetry, where the “outer edge” of a verse could secretly carry a name or message—proof that writing has long been used as a coded spell of attention.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
akróstichos
“belonging to the beginning or outer edge of a line or verse”
Late Greek
Greek
akrostikhís
“a composition in which the first letters of lines form a word or phrase”
Late Latin
Latin
acrostichis
“an acrostic composition”
Late Middle English
English
acrostik
“a poem or composition with hidden initial letters”
Modern English
English
acrostic
“a text in which certain letters, often the first of each line, spell out a word or message”
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