versify

[ vur-suh-fahy ]

verb (used with object),ver·si·fied, ver·si·fy·ing.
  1. to relate, describe, or treat (something) in verse.

  2. to convert (prose or other writing) into metrical form.

verb (used without object),ver·si·fied, ver·si·fy·ing.
  1. to compose verses.

Origin of versify

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English versifien, from Old French versifier, from Latin versificāre; see verse, -ify

Other words from versify

  • ver·si·fi·er, noun
  • un·ver·si·fied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use versify in a sentence

  • Suddenly looking up, the minister exclaimed, ‘Art thou the versifying man?’

    East Anglia | J. Ewing Ritchie
  • This music, this versifying, this admitting a stranger so unreservedly into your pursuits?'

    The Heir of Redclyffe | Charlotte M. Yonge
  • Margaret was not only given to versifying, but was fond of' framing devices, which she inscribed upon her books and furniture.

  • Pushkin, meanwhile, devoted himself completely to his duties as bridegroom and to versifying.

    The Green Book | Mr Jkai
  • In addition to versifying, Pennewip had still another hobby, which gave him more claim to a throne than did anything else.

    Walter Pieterse | Multatuli

British Dictionary definitions for versify

versify

/ (ˈvɜːsɪˌfaɪ) /


verb-fies, -fying or -fied
  1. (tr) to render (something) into metrical form or verse

  2. (intr) to write in verse

Origin of versify

1
C14: from Old French versifier, from Latin versificāre, from versus verse + facere to make

Derived forms of versify

  • versifier, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012