acrosticke

English

Noun

acrosticke (plural acrostickes)

1. Obsolete spelling of acrostic
   • 1600 December 8, Abraham Hartwell, “Nº LXXXV. Of the Same [i.e., Of the Antiquity, Variety, and Reason of Motts, with Arms of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England].”, in Thomas Hearne, editor, A Collection of Curious Discourses Written by Eminent Antiquaries upon Several Heads in Our English Antiquities. […] In Two Volumes, 2nd edition, volume I, London: Printed by and for W. and J. Richardson, published 1771, →OCLC, pages 278–279:

     He [Judas Maccabeus] was termed Mackabæus, becauſe he carried in his ſtandard, or vexillum militare, theſe four Hebrew letters, Mem, Chaph, Beth, and Jod, or M. C. B. and J. whereunto their points being added, which are their vowells, (for others they have none) his mott was Mackabai, whereof he took his name. Theſe four letters are the acroſtickes or initiall letters of theſe four wordes in the fifteenth chapter of the book of Exodus, Mi Chamocha Baalim Jehovah, which is in Latin Quis ſicut tu Deorum Jehova? ["Who among the gods is like you, O Adonai?", Exodus 15:11.]

   • 1603, Hugh Holland, “To Sir Robert Cotton, Knight, Lord of Cunnington”, in Pancharis: The First Booke. Containing the Preparation of the Loue betweene Ovven Tudyr, and the Queene, long since Intended to Her Maiden Maiestie: […], printed at London: By V[alentine] S[immes] for Clement Knight, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Pancharis: The First Booke. [...] (Illustrations of Old English Literature [Green Series]; volume 2, number 1), [London]: [Privately printed], 1866, →OCLC, page 55:

     I have written an acroſticke ſonet to his Maieſtie, a canzonet to the Queene, and another acroſticke unto the Price; whoſe ſervant I am by vow, and ſubordinate ſubject by birth.