verse1
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- pronunciation:
- vuhrs
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun), Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
poetry, or a poem, esp. in metrical form.
The story is told in verse.I'm more fond of prose than verse.- similar words:
- poem, poetry
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| definition 2: |
one line, stanza, or section of a poem.
- similar words:
- line
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| definition 3: |
a certain type of metrical composition.
free verse- similar words:
- poem
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| definition 4: |
a subdivision of a song.
- similar words:
- line
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| related words: |
burden, lyric, word |
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The word
verse goes back to the Latin
versus, which means "a line of writing or poetry." This Latin word came from another Latin word,
vertere, which means "to turn." What did lines of poetry have to do with turning? Think of the action of a farmer plowing a field, turning around at the end of one plowed row or line to make another line for planting. Note:
Vert- is an important Latin word-part, or root, in the English language: you can find it in the words
convert (to turn something into something else),
invert (to turn something upside-down) and
vertigo, the word doctors use for "dizziness."