Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

pŏēta, ae (POETES, Inscr. Orell. 1163), m., = ποιητής.

  1. I. In gen., a maker, producer (ante-class.): nec fallaciam Astutiorem ullus fecit poëta, a contriver, trickster, Plaut. Cas. 5, 1, 7: tu poëta es prorsus ad eam rem unicus, you are just fit for it, id. As. 4, 1, 3.
  2. II. In partic., a poet (class.; syn. vates): visus Homerus adesse poëta, Enn. ap. Cic. Ac. 2, 16, 51 (Ann. v. 6 Vahl.); Cic. de Or. 2, 46, 194: oratores et poëtae, id. ib. 3, 10, 39: versificator quam poëta melior, Quint. 10, 1, 89: pictoribus atque poëtis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas, Hor. A. P. 9: expectes eadem a summo minimoque poëtā, Juv. 1, 14: judex absolvit injuriarum eum, qui Lucilium poëtam in scenā nominatim laeserat, Auct. Her. 2, 3, 19: unum (genus deorum) a poëtis traditum, Aug. Civ. Dei, 4, 27 init.