The article discusses the process of the formation of the aesthetic meaning of the word “forest” in M. Prishvin's poetics and its difference from the meaning of everyday use. Basing on the contextual analysis, the author distinguishes the thematic groups of vocabulary, the semantics of which, along with the writer's tropes, forms the features of the literary meaning of the word. It expands and complements the basic features of the dictionary meaning and puts forward a new dominant feature - “a part of the natural world in which a person is involved” - reflecting M. Prishvin's ethical views. The results of the work can be used to create a dictionary of the writer's language.