verse

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

verse, n. [OE. vers, AS. fers, L. versus a line in writing, and, in poetry, a verse, from vertere, versum, to turn, to turn round; akin to E. worth to become: cf. F. vers. See Worth to become, and cf. Advertise, Averse, Controversy, Convert, Divers, Invert, Obverse, Prose, Suzerain, Vortex.].

•  A line consisting of a certain number of metrical feet (see Foot, n., 9) disposed according to metrical rules.  [1913 Webster]

  " Verses are of various kinds, as hexameter, pentameter, tetrameter, etc., according to the number of feet in each. A verse of twelve syllables is called an Alexandrine. Two or more verses form a stanza or strophe."  [1913 Webster]
•  Metrical arrangement and language; that which is composed in metrical form; versification; poetry.  [1913 Webster]

  "Such prompt eloquence
  Flowed from their lips in prose or numerous verse."  [1913 Webster]

  "Virtue was taught in verse."  [1913 Webster]

  "Verse embalms virtue."  [1913 Webster]
•  A short division of any composition.  [1913 Webster]

  " Although this use of verse is common, it is objectionable, because not always distinguishable from the stricter use in the sense of a line."  [1913 Webster]

  " The author of the division of the Old Testament into verses is not ascertained. The New Testament was divided into verses by Robert Stephens [or Estienne], a French printer. This arrangement appeared for the first time in an edition printed at Geneva, in 1551."  [1913 Webster]
•  A piece of poetry.  Pope.  [1913 Webster]

Blank verse, poetry in which the lines do not end in rhymes. -- Heroic verse. See under Heroic.

verse, v. t. 

 To tell in verse, or poetry.  [1913 Webster]
"Playing on pipes of corn and versing love."  [1913 Webster]

verse, v. i. 

 To make verses; to versify.  [1913 Webster]
"It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

verse, n. & v.
--n.
1 a metrical composition in general (wrote pages of verse). b a particular type of this (English verse).
2 a a metrical line in accordance with the rules of prosody. b a group of a definite number of such lines. c a stanza of a poem or song with or without refrain.
3 each of the short numbered divisions of a chapter in the Bible or other scripture.
4 a a versicle. b a passage (of an anthem etc.) for solo voice.
--v.tr.
1 express in verse.
2 (usu. refl.; foll. by in) instruct; make knowledgeable.

Derivative

verselet n.

Etymology

OE fers f. L versus a turn of the plough, a furrow, a line of writing f. vertere vers- turn: in ME reinforced by OF vers f. L versus

THESAURUS

verse

English sonnet, Horatian ode, Italian sonnet, Petrarchan sonnet, Pindaric ode, Sapphic ode, Shakespearean sonnet, Spenserian stanza, acquaint, adage, advertise, advertise of, advise, alba, ana, anacreontic, anacrusis, analects, antistrophe, aphorism, apothegm, apprise, article, avant-propos, axiom, back matter, balada, ballad, ballade, bass passage, book, bourdon, breakthrough, bridge, brief, bring word, bucolic, burden, byword, cadence, canso, canto, catchword, chanson, chapter, chorus, clause, clerihew, climb Parnassus, coda, collected sayings, column, communicate, compose poetry, couplet, current saying, development, dictate, dictum, dirge, disclose, distich, dithyramb, division, eclogue, elegize, elegy, enlighten, envoi, epic, epigram, epithalamium, epode, epopee, epopoeia, epos, exordium, exposition, expression, familiarize, fascicle, figure, folderol, folio, foreword, front matter, frontispiece, gathering, georgic, ghazel, give notice, give the facts, give word, gnome, golden saying, haiku, harmonic close, heptastich, hexastich, idyll, inform, innovation, installment, instruct, interlude, intermezzo, introduction, introductory phrase, jingle, lay, leap, leave word, let know, limerick, line, lisp in numbers, livraison, lyric, madrigal, make immortal verse, maxim, measure, mention to, monody, monostich, moral, mot, motto, mount Pegasus, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, musical thought, narrative poem, notify, number, nursery rhyme, octastich, octave, octet, ode, oracle, ornament, ottava rima, overture, page, palinode, paragraph, part, passage, pastoral, pastoral elegy, pastorela, pastourelle, pentastich, period, phrase, pithy saying, poem, poesy, poetize, poetry, postulate, preamble, precept, preface, prefix, prefixture, preliminary, prelude, premise, prescript, presupposition, proem, prolegomena, prolegomenon, prolepsis, prologue, protasis, prothalamium, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, quatrain, refrain, report, resolution, response, rhyme, rhyme royal, ritornello, rondeau, rondel, roundel, roundelay, rune, satire, saw, saying, section, send word, sentence, sententious expression, septet, serial, serve notice, sestet, sestina, sextet, sheet, signature, sing, sing deathless songs, sloka, song, sonnet, sonnet sequence, speak, stanza, statement, stave, stock saying, strain, strophe, sutra, syllable, tailpiece, tanka, teaching, tell, tenso, tenzone, tercet, terza rima, tetrastich, text, the supreme fiction, threnody, triolet, triplet, tristich, troubadour poem, tutti, tutti passage, variation, verselet, versicle, versify, villanelle, virelay, volume, voluntary, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, witticism, word, words of wisdom, write poetry

ROGET THESAURUS

verse

Poetry

N poetry, poetics, poesy, Muse, Calliope, tuneful Nine, Parnassus, Helicon, Pierides, Pierian spring, versification, rhyming, making verses, prosody, orthometry, poem, epic, epic poem, epopee, epopoea, ode, epode, idyl, lyric, eclogue, pastoral, bucolic, dithyramb, anacreontic, sonnet, roundelay, rondeau, rondo, madrigal, canzonet, cento, monody, elegy, amoebaeum, ghazal, palinode, dramatic poetry, lyric poetry, opera, posy, anthology, disjecta membra poetae song, ballad, lay, love song, drinking song, war song, sea song, lullaby, music, nursery rhymes, doggerel, Hudibrastic verse, prose run mad, macaronics, macaronic verse, leonine verse, runes, canto, stanza, distich, verse, line, couplet, triplet, quatrain, strophe, antistrophe, verse, rhyme, assonance, crambo, meter, measure, foot, numbers, strain, rhythm, accentuation, dactyl, spondee, trochee, anapest, hexameter, pentameter, Alexandrine, anacrusis, antispast, blank verse, ictus, elegiacs, elegiac verse, elegaic meter, elegaic poetry, poet, poet laureate, laureate, bard, lyrist, scald, skald, troubadour, trouvere, minstrel, minnesinger, meistersinger, improvisatore, versifier, sonneteer, rhymer, rhymist, rhymester, ballad monger, runer, poetaster, genus irritabile vatum, poetic, poetical, lyric, lyrical, tuneful, epic, dithyrambic, metrical, a catalectin, elegiac, iambic, trochaic, anapestic, amoebaeic, Melibean, skaldic, Ionic, Sapphic, Alcaic, Pindaric, a poem round and perfect as a star, Dichtung und Wahrheit, furor poeticus, his virtues formed the magic of his song, I do but sing because I must, I learnt life from the poets, licentia vatum, mutum est pictura poema, O for a muse of fire!, sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge, the true poem is the poet's mind, Volk der Dichter und Denker, wisdom married to immortal verse, poetry, poetics, poesy, Muse, Calliope, tuneful Nine, Parnassus, Helicon, Pierides, Pierian spring, versification, rhyming, making verses, prosody, orthometry, poem, epic, epic poem, epopee, epopoea, ode, epode, idyl, lyric, eclogue, pastoral, bucolic, dithyramb, anacreontic, sonnet, roundelay, rondeau, rondo, madrigal, canzonet, cento, monody, elegy, amoebaeum, ghazal, palinode, dramatic poetry, lyric poetry, opera, posy, anthology, disjecta membra poetae song, ballad, lay, love song, drinking song, war song, sea song, lullaby, music, nursery rhymes, doggerel, Hudibrastic verse, prose run mad, macaronics, macaronic verse, leonine verse, runes, canto, stanza, distich, verse, line, couplet, triplet, quatrain, strophe, antistrophe, verse, rhyme, assonance, crambo, meter, measure, foot, numbers, strain, rhythm, accentuation, dactyl, spondee, trochee, anapest, hexameter, pentameter, Alexandrine, anacrusis, antispast, blank verse, ictus, elegiacs, elegiac verse, elegaic meter, elegaic poetry, poet, poet laureate, laureate, bard, lyrist, scald, skald, troubadour, trouvere, minstrel, minnesinger, meistersinger, improvisatore, versifier, sonneteer, rhymer, rhymist, rhymester, ballad monger, runer, poetaster, genus irritabile vatum, poetic, poetical, lyric, lyrical, tuneful, epic, dithyrambic, metrical, a catalectin, elegiac, iambic, trochaic, anapestic, amoebaeic, Melibean, skaldic, Ionic, Sapphic, Alcaic, Pindaric, a poem round and perfect as a star, Dichtung und Wahrheit, furor poeticus, his virtues formed the magic of his song, I do but sing because I must, I learnt life from the poets, licentia vatum, mutum est pictura poema, O for a muse of fire!, sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge, the true poem is the poet's mind, Volk der Dichter und Denker, wisdom married to immortal verse.

Part

N part, portion, dose, item, particular, aught, any, division, ward, subdivision, section, chapter, clause, count, paragraph, verse, article, passage, sector, segment, fraction, fragment, cantle, frustum, detachment, parcel, piece, lump, bit cut, cutting, chip, chunk, collop, slice, scale, lamina, small part, morsel, particle, installment, dividend, share, debris, odds and ends, oddments, detritus, excerpta, member, limb, lobe, lobule, arm, wing, scion, branch, bough, joint, link, offshoot, ramification, twig, bush, spray, sprig, runner, leaf, leaflet, stump, component part, sarmentum, compartment, department, county, fractional, fragmentary, sectional, aliquot, divided, in compartments, multifid, disconnected, partial, partly, in part, partially, piecemeal, part by part, by by installments, by snatches, by inches, by driblets, bit by bit, inch by inch, foot by foot, drop by drop, in detail, in lots.