verse means A poetic form with regular meter and a fixed rhyme scheme. It carries an Arena rating of 1761, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, verse ranks #189 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #251 of 42,762 for Qualifying, #297 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #695 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
verse is pronounced /vɜːs/.
Why “verse” is a great word
A single metrical line of poetry or a distinct lyrical section of a song, characterized by its structured rhythm and often rhyme, or the act of composing in such a form. From Middle English vers, blending Old English fers and Old French vers, both from Latin versus ("a line, row; a line of verse"), from vertere ("to turn"). Unlike "prose," which is the unturned field of ordinary speech, or a "stanza," which is the formed room of such lines, "verse" is the unit of that turning itself—the furrow plowed by the voice. It is the deliberate click of a typewriter carriage returning, the beat between a preacher's call and the congregation's response, the breath taken before a singer returns to the chorus—each turn a small, formal revolution against the chaos of the unmeasured.
Etymology
From Middle English vers, from a mixture of Old English fers and Old French vers; both from Latin versus (“a line in writing, and in poetry a verse; (originally) row, furrow”), from vertō (“to turn around”).
noun
- A poetic form with regular meter and a fixed rhyme scheme.e.g.“Restoration literature is well known for its carefully constructed verse.”
- Poetic form in general.e.g.“The restrictions of verse have steadily been relaxed over time.”
- One of several similar units of a song, consisting of several lines, generally rhymed.e.g.“Note the shift in tone between the first verse and the second.”
- A small section of a holy book (Bible, Quran etc.)
- A portion of an anthem to be performed by a single voice to each part.
verb
- To compose verses.e.g.“It is not rhyming and versing that maketh a poet.” — a. 1587 (date written), Phillip Sidney [i.e., Philip Sidney], An Apologie for Poetrie. […], London: […] [James Roberts] for Henry Olney, […], published 1595, →OCLC; republished as Edward Arber, editor
- To tell in verse, or poetry.e.g.“playing on pipes of corn and versing love” — c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Fol
- to educate about, to teach about.e.g.“He versed us in the finer points of category theory.”
- To oppose, to compete against.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).