Verses

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvɝsɪz/

Definitions

1. A collection of rhythmic and sometimes rhymed lines that convey feelings or stories
2. Lines crafted in a structured and often rhythmic manner to express emotions or narrative
3. A series of metered lines forming part of a poem or song conveying ideas or moods

Etymology: The plural "verses" is the form of "verse," and the surprising part is that the singular "verse" is itself a back-formation from it. Latin "versus" meant "a turning," the movement of a plough as it came back at the end of a furrow, and from that sense came the idea of a row or line. In Latin, "versus" was a noun built on "vertere," "to turn around," so a line of writing was originally a turn of the plough. English took the word through two routes at once: Old English "fers" and Old French "vers" merged into Middle English "vers." Because "versus" ended in an s, English speakers misread it as the plural of a noun, and a singular was then created from it. The reverse happened: a form that began as a singular became the plural, and the word "verse" was formed by back-formation from "versus."

Synonyms: stanzas, poems, lines