A Crostic derives from the Greek words ἄκρος (ákros, "top") and στίχος (stíchos, "row, verse"). This is because the original acrostics were poems that formed a pattern of letters or words when read vertically.
Etymology
The word acrostic was first coined in the 16th century, from the Greek words ἄκρος (ákros, "top") and στίχος (stíchos, "row, verse").
Meaning
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable, or word of each line, paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word, name, or phrase, typically used as a mnemonic device or form of secret writing.
Origin
Acrostics have been used for centuries as a way to remember information or to send secret messages. The first known acrostic was written by the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos in the 6th century BC. He used an acrostic to commemorate the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans fought to the death against the Persian army. The acrostic spelled out the names of the three hundred Spartans who died in the battle.
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