Home › Glossary › Letter P

pluck

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A verb meaning to pull, pick, or detach something—such as flowers, fruit, or feathers—sharply away from its stem or origin.

Detailed Definition
In the poem, 'pluck' keeps the flower imagery going: the speaker imagines love as something that might be picked. The word is common in older literary writing, but in this context it may still prompt a quick check for some readers.
Example
Example in poetry:
To pluck means to pick, pull, or gather, especially fruit, flowers, strings, or feathers; “what you’ll not pluck indeed” makes love seem like something that cannot be taken by force; “She plucked one pear from the rain-dark tree” uses the concrete physical action; “Pluck the low string, and let its sorrow speak” extends the verb into music and sound
Additional Notes
In the line 'what you'll not pluck indeed,' the verb is used in a flower-picking sense that may be less immediate for some readers.; Found in the poem, You'll love Me yet by Robert Browning
Also Known As
gather harvest seize extract
Skip to main content