versify

views updated May 14 2018

ver·si·fy / ˈvərsəˌfī/ • v. (-fies, -fied) [tr.] turn into or express in verse: he versifies others' ideas. | [as n.] (versifying) a talent for versifying. DERIVATIVES: ver·si·fi·ca·tion / ˌvərsəfiˈkāshən/ n.ver·si·fi·er n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

versify

views updated May 23 2018

versify write in verse. XIV. — (O)F. versifier — L. versificāre; see VERSE, -IFY.
So versification XVII. — L. versifier XIV. — AN. versifiur, OF. -fiour, -fieur.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

versification

views updated May 18 2018

versification Art or practice of composing metrical lines. The terms ‘verse’ and ‘poetry’ often appear interchangeable. When distinctions arise, verse is characterized by structure and form, and poetry by intensity of feeling and imaginative power.

World Encyclopedia