versify

English

Etymology

From Middle English versifien, from Old French versifier, learned borrowing from Latin versificāre (“versify”), from versus (see verse) + faciō (“make”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪfaɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

versify (third-person singular simple present versifies, present participle versifying, simple past and past participle versified)

1. (ambitransitive) to make or compose verses
   • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The First Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:

     I'll versify in spite, and do my best.

2. (intransitive) to tell in verse; deal with in verse form
3. (intransitive) to turn (prose) into poetry; rewrite in verse form

Derived terms

• versifier

Translations

transitive: to make or compose verses

Arabic: نَظَمَ (naẓama) Armenian: քերթել (hy) (kʻertʻel) Bulgarian: пиша стихове (piša stihove) Georgian: ლექსების წერა (leksebis c̣era) Middle English: versifien Portuguese: versar (pt), versejar, versificar (pt) Romanian: versifica (ro) Ukrainian: віршува́ти impf (viršuváty)

intransitive: to tell in verse; deal with in verse form

Georgian: ლექსების წერა (leksebis c̣era) Portuguese: versar (pt), versejar, versificar (pt) Ukrainian: віршува́ти impf (viršuváty)

intransitive: to turn prose into poetry; rewrite in verse form

Georgian: გალექსვა (galeksva) German: versifizieren (de) Portuguese: versar (pt), versejar, versificar (pt) Swedish: versifiera (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Serbo-Croatian: (please verify) stihotvoriti