For another meaning, see Acrostic (puzzle).

An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, "extreme", and stíchos, "verse") is a poem or other text written in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each verse, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message.

The word acrostic was first applied to the prophecies of the Erythraean Sibyl, which were written on leaves and arranged so that the initial letters of the leaves always formed a word. This fact was later used to ingenious effect by Vladimir Nabokov in his story The Vane Sisters.

Acrostics may simply spell out the letters of the alphabet in order; these acrostics occur in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and in certain of the Psalms of the Hebrew Bible. Two notable acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119, which typically is printed in subsections named after the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each of which is featured in that section; and Psalm 145 (commonly referred to as "Ashrei"), which is recited three times a day in the Jewish services. Or, the acrostic may spell out a name or some other message, such as the acrostic contained in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, where the letters of the acrostic are embellished with ornate capital letters. Or, the acrostic may be used as a form of steganography, seeking to conceal the message rather than to proclaim it.

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@gregclimbs hence the haik part of haikrostic. A cross between a haiku and an acrostic.
flahute (Steven Sheffield) Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:43:15 -0000
@gregclimbs hence the haik part of haikrostic. A cross between a haiku and an acrostic.
Facebook System Proves Rape Jokes Even Less Funny As Acrostic Poems [Unfriend]: Misogynistic DENNIS System, meet my... http://bit.ly/7ciADx
rachelejlee (Rachel Lee) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:07:52 -0000
Facebook System Proves Rape Jokes Even Less Funny As Acrostic Poems [Unfriend]: Misogynistic DENNIS System, meet my... http://bit.ly/7ciADx
Facebook System Proves Rape Jokes Even Less Funny As Acrostic Poems http://jezebel.com/5424421/ #unfriend #dennissystem
retrojayne (Jenn Nolte) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:59:47 -0000
Facebook System Proves Rape Jokes Even Less Funny As Acrostic Poems http://jezebel.com/5424421/ #unfriend #dennissystem
@CasperMcFadden cool! acrostic can be really fun, especially when pushing the form into the lyric & conceptual imo -give it a go some time
poetwist (Kayt Hoch) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:46:41 -0000
@CasperMcFadden cool! acrostic can be really fun, especially when pushing the form into the lyric & conceptual imo -give it a go some time
It's a jungleRT @poetwist January lurks silent / Ice crunching, brief / Noon-day sun a / Gala-this season of / Lights / Everywhere #acrostic
coffee_offline (Kathrin Hardie) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:09:49 -0000
It's a jungleRT @poetwist January lurks silent / Ice crunching, brief / Noon-day sun a / Gala-this season of / Lights / Everywhere #acrostic
So is the Quim is the acrostic, even if the poor child is being raised by a bunch of empty beer cans, after picking out their tree #gossip
the__truth (the__truth) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:57:13 -0000
So is the Quim is the acrostic, even if the poor child is being raised by a bunch of empty beer cans, after picking out their tree #gossip

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