posy
oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018po·sy1 / ˈpōzē/ •
n. (pl. -sies) 1. a small bunch of flowers.2. archaic a short motto or line of verse inscribed inside a ring.po·sy2 •
adj. variant spelling of posey.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
Posy
gale
views updated May 29 2018Posy
a collection or bouquet of flowers; of poetry or rhetoric, 1569. See also bouquet, nosegay, poesy.
Examples : posy of flowers, 1565; of hyssop, 1866; of marjorum, 1742; of literary pieces, 1612; of poetry; of rhetoric, 1569; of roses, 1593.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms
posy
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018posy A. (arch.) motto, orig. line of verse;
B. nosegay. XVI. contr. form of
POESY.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
posy
oxford
views updated May 18 2018posy a short motto or line of verse inscribed inside a ring, typically in patterned language such as an acrostic. The word is a contraction (in late Middle English) of
poesy.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
