envoi · noun — A short stanza at the end of a poem, used either to address a person or to comment on the preceding body of the poem. It carries an Arena rating of 1552, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, envoi ranks #2,342 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #2,932 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words, #3,680 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,283 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
envoi is pronounced /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/.
Why “envoi” is a great word
A brief concluding stanza that formally dispatches a poem, often summarizing its themes or addressing a patron. Borrowed from French envoi, from envoyer ('to send'), used in the sense of 'sending off' the poem; first attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike a coda, which provides a concluding passage in music or literature but need not be stanzaic, or an epilogue, which offers narrative closure in prose, an envoi is a distinct poetic farewell. It is the final, turned key in a ballad’s lock, the sealed letter pressed into the messenger’s hand, or the poet’s signature carved into the stone lintel—a small, formal act of release that acknowledges all art is a message sent and never quite received.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from French envoi.
noun
- A short stanza at the end of a poem, used either to address a person or to comment on the preceding body of the poem.e.g.“From the pulsing throb of the very opening, this was a detailed, incisive playing, culminating in an envoi glowing enough to provide the catharsis this programme so uncompromisingly demanded.” — 2009 January 28, Erica Jeal, “LSO/Segerstam”, in The Guardian:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- endsay 59% match — A final or closing word; conclusion. vs envoi →
- epode 54% match — The after song; the part of a lyric or choral ode which follows the strophe and antistrophe. vs envoi →
- poemette 53% match — A short poem. vs envoi →
- sestina 53% match — A highly structured poem consisting of six six-line stanzas followed by a tercet or envoy, for a total of thirty-nine lines. vs envoi →
- poemet 53% match — A short poem. vs envoi →
- outsend 53% match — To send out or forth; issue; emit; transmit; broadcast. vs envoi →
- maqta 51% match — The last couplet of a ghazal, typically incorporating the poet's pen name in a creative way. vs envoi →
- eschatocol 50% match — The final section of a document, often involving a formulaic close (e.g. “Yours faithfully”), the date and location of writing, and information on the document's originators e.g. author, counter-signer, witnesses present, etc. vs envoi →