A small bouquet of flowers, usually arranged to be held in the hand or worn on clothing.
Short form of 'poesy' (poetry), from Middle English and Old French 'poesie,' from Latin 'poesis.' Flowers and poetry were linked in meaning because both represented beauty and were given as gifts expressing feelings.
A posey is a poem made of flowers—Victorian lovers literally wrote love letters in botanical language, with each flower type carrying a hidden message. What started as 'poesy' (poetry) became 'posey' (flowers) because people treated small bouquets as silent poems.
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