Crossword Genius

Died before becoming a poet (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dante

'a poet' is the definition.
(13th- and 14th-century Italian poet)

'died before' is the wordplay.
'died' becomes 'd' (abbreviation next to the year of someone's death).
'before' becomes 'ante' (I've seen this before).
'd'+'ante'='DANTE'

'becoming' is the link.

(Other definitions for dante that I've seen before include "Finally stand before" , "Italian poet, 1265-1321" , "Author of the Divine Comedy, d. 1321" , "Thirteenth to fourteenth century Italian poet" , "Net Da a poet" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.