verse etymology

Etymology

The word "verse" comes from the Old French word "vers," which is derived from the Latin word "versus," meaning "line" or "turn."

Meaning

A verse is a single line of poetry. It can also refer to a group of lines that form a stanza or a complete poem. Verses can be written in various forms, including blank verse, iambic pentameter, and free verse.

Origin

The concept of the verse as a unit of poetry can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman literature. In these languages, verses were typically written in meter, which gave them a musical quality. The use of meter in poetry continued throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, although it became less common during the rise of free verse in the 20th century.

Examples

Here are some examples of verses:

• "The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers" (William Wordsworth)
• "Do not go gentle into that good night" (Dylan Thomas)
• "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (Robert Frost)
• "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (T.S. Eliot)
• "Ode to a Nightingale" (John Keats)

verse relate terms

• chorus

  Etymology Late Latin chorus Greek khoros a dancing place from khoreia dance Me

• verse

  Etymology The word verse comes from the Old French word vers which is derived from t

• neck verse

  Etymology The term neck verse is derived from two words Neck Referring to the phys

• neck

  Etymology The word neck originates from the Old English word hnocca which referred t

• verse

  Etymology The word verse comes from the Old French word vers which is derived from t

• versify

  Etymology Originates from the Latin word versus meaning turned or line In poetr

• rhyme

  Etymology The word rhyme comes from the Old French word rime which in turn derives

• poetry

  Etymology The word poetry comes from the Greek word poiesis ποίησις which

• stichic

  Etymology Greek stichos row line verse Meaning A line or verse especially i

• stanza

  Etymology The word stanza derives from the Italian word stanza which in turn comes f

• epigram

  Etymology Derived from the Ancient Greek word ἐπίγραμμα epígramma meaning

• macaronic

  Etymology The term macaronic comes from the Italian word maccherone a type of pasta

• indite

  Etymology Indite comes from the Latin word indictare which means to show to make kno

• iambic

  Etymology Greek iambos a foot consisting of a short and a long syllable Latin ia

• write

  Etymology The study of the origin and history of words It examines how words change ove