Verse

/vɜrs/ noun

Definition

Verse is writing arranged with a rhythm, often with a pattern of beats or rhymes, like in poetry or songs. It can also mean a single section or line of such writing, especially in the Bible or music.

Etymology

From Latin 'versus', meaning 'a line or row, especially of writing', originally 'a turning', from 'vertere' meaning 'to turn'. It referred to each line as a turn of the plow or the pen.

Kelly Says

Every ‘verse’ is a kind of turn—of thought, of sound, of the writer’s hand moving to a new line. That’s why songs alternate between ‘verses’ and choruses: each verse turns the story a little further. The word quietly connects poetry to farming and walking in rows.

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