poète

Poète is the French noun for a person who writes poetry. The form poète is masculine; the feminine form is poétesse. In plural, poètes refers to a group of poets (masculine or mixed), while poétesses is used for a group of female poets. The term covers both professional poets and writers who regularly craft poems as an artistic pursuit.

Etymology traces poète to Old French poete, from Latin poeta and Greek poiētēs, meaning “maker” or “creator,” related to poiein “to make.” The word thus emphasizes poetry as a act of creation.

In usage, a poète is defined by engagement with verse, employing devices such as meter, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and metaphor. French poetry spans classical forms and innovations, from rigid structures of earlier centuries to modern free verse. Poètes may compose, publish, and perform—producing collections, participating in literary journals, readings, and movements, and contributing to cultural discourse through their language and voice.

Notable French poets include Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Victor Hugo, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Jacques Prévert, among others. In the wider Francophone world, the figure of the poète continues to symbolize literary craft, experimentation, and the exploration of language’s expressive potential.