Versal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to a line or stanza of poetry or verse ; able to rotate or turn around an axis or point
2. Connected with the structure or form of poetry ; having the ability to pivot or swivel
3. Associated with metrical composition in literature ; capable of movement by turning or revolving

Etymology: Surprisingly, this word has two unrelated lives. In one, "versal" is a shortened form of "universal," a clipping that drops the opening and closing syllables to leave a shorter, punchier word. In the other, it is a term from calligraphy and printing: a "versal" is a large decorative capital letter, the kind that opens a section or verse of a manuscript. The poetry sense and the pivoting sense are the ones the adjective meaning here points to, and they come from the same root, the Latin "versus," meaning "a turning," from "vertere," "to turn." A line of verse was originally a furrow, the turn at the end of a row of ploughing, which is why poetic "verse" and the idea of turning sit so close together. The adjective for poetic structure is built from "verse" plus the suffix "-al," meaning "relating to," so it simply means connected with verse.

Synonyms: all-encompassing, universal, comprehensive, global, inclusive

Antonyms: specific, limited, restricted, exclusive, narrow