Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
poet laureate
4 dictionary results for: Poet Laureate
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
poet laureate  
n.   pl. poets laureate or poet laureates
  1. A poet appointed for life by a British monarch as a member of the royal household and expected to write poems celebrating occasions of national importance and honoring the royal family.
  2. A poet appointed to a similar honorary position or honored for artistic excellence.
  3. A poet acclaimed as the most excellent or most representative of a locality or group.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
poet laureate

noun
1. a poet who is unofficially regarded as holding an honorary position in a particular group or region; "she is the poet laureate of all lyricists"; "he is the poet laureate of Arkansas" 
2. the poet officially appointed to the royal household in Great Britain; "the poet laureate is expected to provide poems for great national occasions" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
poet laureate

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.

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com