Where does “poesy” come from?
Poesy comes from Middle French poesie, from Old French poesie, from Latin poesis, from Ancient Greek ποίησις, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European -tis.
poesy (English): A poem; The class of literature comprising poems;...
Definitions
- A poem; The class of literature comprising poems;...
Ancestry of “poesy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | poesie | poetry; poem |
| 2 | Old French | poesie | — |
| 3 | Latin | poēsis | poetry |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ποίησις | poetry, poem; a creation, fabrication, production |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |