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poema

poem (long, narrative)

noun POH-eh-mah Less Common
Arts & Culture Literature

Origin: Greek poiema, 'a thing made'

Usage Note

Poema refers specifically to a long or epic poem (la Divina Commedia is Italy's most famous poema), distinct from poesia ('poem' in general, or 'poetry') and lirica ('lyric poem'). Despite ending in -a, poema is grammatically masculine — il poema, plural i poemi — like other Greek-origin words in -ma (il problema, il tema).

Examples

"La Divina Commedia è il più grande poema italiano."

Natural Translation

The Divine Comedy is the greatest Italian poem.

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