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VERSIFYING.
which he had never learnt, and for which he had no aptitude.
189a Athenmtm 6 Aug. 190/1 What really genuine
poetic inspiration he .showed is lost in the commonplace of
too idle versifyings.
b. atlrib., as versifying dialogue, etc.
1686 in Vernt^ Mem. ^.\go^) II. 424 As to y[ou]r Versifying
Dialogue with Him, I like it very well. 1725 Watts
Logic III. ii. § 3, I confess some of these logical Subtilties
have much more Use than those versifying Tables. 1737
Gmtl. Mag. VII. 148/1, I shall exemplify by a Text, where a
Singing, or mere Versifying Repetition, is literally express'd.
1787 Skinner Let. in M'ks. Burns (1800) II. 127, I know a
classical education will not create a versifying taste. 1811
BvnON Hints /r. Hor. 839 If free, all fly his versifying fit.
1885 Athenxtim ri July 50/1 Godwin desired Wordsworth
to undertake the versifying part of the business.
Versifying, ppl. a. [f. as prec. +-ing2.]
That versihes or writes verses.
1580 2nd ff 3rd Blast Piaysff Theatres no These versifieng
Plaie-makers. 1750 Gray LnngSttny 18 Shame of the
versifying tribe 1 1893 Walker Three Churchmen 134 Tlie
reviewers he looks upon as ' gamekeepers ', doing invaluable
service to literature by keeping the versifying * poachers
off Parnassus.
tVersi-loquy. Obs.-° [Cf. lateL. versiloi;nHS
that speaks in verse.] (See quot.)
i7»7 Bailey (vol. II), I'ersiloquy, speaking in Verse.
Versin, contracted f. versed sine Versed a.
iS»7 Airy in Encycl. Metrop. (18^5) I. 685 Versin c = i —
cos r. /*/(/., Versin e = versin a — 4 (etc). 1850 Parkinson
Optics f 1866) 254 The quantity of light received by the disc
is zv^a^B versin a,
Versine, variant of V'erzine Obs.
Versinff (vajsiij), vbl. sb. [f. Verse z/.i*
-inqI.] The action or practice of writing verse; an
tionsfor I
' Rem.
,
instance of this ; the art or science of verse-making.
1581 Sidney Afol. Poetrie IXA.) ^9 That which gyueth
greatest scope. ., is ryming and versing. 16x3 W. Browne
Brit. Past. 11. i. (1616) 9 For well it seemes in versing he
hath skill. 1633 G. Herbert Tempie, Flower vi, I once
more smell the dew and rain. And relish versing. 1644
Bulwer Chirol. A iij b, Physick and Versing in his flaming
Chaire Plac'd Phoebus, and bestow'd that blazing Haire.
1856 Anne Manning Tasso ^ Leonora 46 Charmed with
his smooth versings. 187^ M. Collins Transmigr. II. ix.
162 The man who can , .relish versing has nothing much the
matter with his. .psychical htelth. 189a Stopford Bkookk
Early Eng. Lit. I. vii. 146 He had before him some ancient
versings of the fight.
altrib. 1645 G. Daniel PoemsWVs. (Grosart) II. 51 What
mad men are wee of the versing trade I
t Versing box. Ofo.-' (Of obscure meaning
perh. connected with Verse v.-^ and Vebser 2.)
a _ xsa9 Skelton Bouge cf Court 232 As I stode musynge
in my myndc, Haruy Hafter came lepynge, lyghte a& lynde.
Vpon his breste he bare a versynge boxe.
version (v5-jjjn), sb. [a. F. version ( = It. versione,
Sp. version, Pg. versdo), or ad. L. version-,
versio, noun of action from verlire to turn.]
L A rendering of some text or work, or of a
single word, passage, etc., from one language into
another; a translation; also (rarely), the action or
process of translating.
Freq. with adjs. denoting the language into which the
translation is made.
IS8» N. T. (Rhemish) Pref. bij. Trusting that it may
giue occasion to you ..to lay away at lest such their
impure versions as hitherto you haue ben forced to occupie.
i6o7_TopsELL Four./. Beasts 435, I vtterly seclude al their
opinions, which translate this word Arabian wolues, for the
H%brew notes cannot admit such a version or exposition.
C1645 Howell £ o tonge.
Hence f VeTsliiig vbl. sb. Obs.
a IMS Ancr. R. 44 Verslunge of hire sautere; redinge of
Englichs, oder of Freinchs ; holi meditaciuns.
il Verso
(vs-JSi?). [L. verso {sc. folio leaf), abl.
sing, neut. of versus, pa. pple. of ventre to turn.
So F. and Pg. verso."]
1. The back of a leaf in a manuscript or printed
book ; the side presented to the eye when the leaf
has been turned over. Also abbrev. v., vo.
The left-hand page of a book is the verso of that leaf, and
faces the Recto of the next.
1839 Halliwell Maundevile Introd. p. xiii. See f, 2, vo.
1850 FoRSHALL & Madden Wyclijffite Bible \. p. Ixi, The
verso commences with the eleventh chapter of the Epistle
to the Romans. 1873 Rep. Brit. Assoc, i. 43 Sines, cosines,
and secants are given on the versos of the pages in columns.
1898 Athenaeum 12 Nov, 676 The text begins on the verso
of the title-page.
fig. 1873 j. Henry Aeneidea \. Pref. 77 It was not long
before I had the verso of this agreeable recto of one leaf of
my library life.
2. The reverse of a coin, medal, or the like.
X89X Cent. Diet. 19x4 P. E. Newberry in Anc. Egypt 6
On the verso of the same palette there is a scene [etc.].
Versoke, southern ME. pa. t. Forsake v.
tVersOr^. Obs, In 5 versour(e. [a. AF.
*versour (F, verseur), f. verser to pour. Verse
z/.^] (See quots.)
A 1483 Liber Niger in Househ, Ord. (1790) 77 One chief
sobyr yeoman versoure, to resceyve all the ale or beere
that shall be pourveyede. Ibid., Othyr twoe groomes
versours in this office to helpe to lodge theyre ale, to helpe
drawe it [etcj.
2 (vaus^j). [a, L. type ^versor^ f. vers-,
Versor
vert/re to turn.]
+ 1. The needle of a compass. Obs. rare.
1640 G. Watts tr. Bacon's Adv. Learn, v. ii. sag So
i ferse.
VERSY.
the versor of a Mariners needle applies it selfe to the Poles
of the world.
2. AJath. In quaternions, an operator which
changes the direction of a vector without altering
its length.
ax865 Sir W. R. Hamilton Elem. Quaternions ii. i.
(1866) 133 We shall now say that every Radial Quotient is
a Versor. A Versor has thus, in general, a plane, an axis
and an angle. 1886 W. S. Alois Solid Geom, (ed. 4) xiv.
235 If the two vectors OA and OB be of equal length the
change of one into the other is merely an operation of
rotation. In this case the quaternion is called a versor.
Verss(e, southern ME. varr. Fresh a.
Verst (v5ist). Forms: a. 6-8 werste, 6,
8-9 worst, 7 worst, 7-8 wurste. ^. 6- verst,
6-8 verste, 7 vorst; 6 verse (//. versse), 7
[ad. Russ. Bcpcra, partly through G.
. wersi and F. verste.'] A Russian measure of length
equal to 3500 English feet or about two-thirds of
an English mile.
a. X5« Eden Decades (Arb.) 322 From Moscouia to the
citie of Vuolochda, are numbered [500] Werstes, one Werst
conteynynge ahnoste the space of an Iiatyan myle. z66a J,
Davies tr. Olearius'' Voy. Ambass, 27 We left Novogorod
and got forwards 36. Werstes, or seven Leagues. iix^Lond.
Gas. No. 5293/2 He was not gone above 12 Wur.stes or
Russian Miles, x-jn^ Ann. Reg.w. 151 Having approached
this island within almost three wersts, or two English miles,
their vessel was suddenly surrounded by ice. 1818 Byron
Mazeppa xvii, Many a werst, Panting as if his heart would
burst, The weary brute still stagger'd on. x&iz Motley
Corr. {i88g) I . iv. 73 The road from Tauroggen to Petersburg
is 14 wersts.
fr 1557 Jenkinson in Hakluyt Voy. (1886) III. 198
Vologhda and M osco.. are acconipted 500 verstes asunder
CX57X J. Stow Vopf. ff Trav. (Hakl. Soc.) II. 339 The
ryuer oca, which is 20 .versse disiant from ye moscow
a verse is iii quarters of an yn^leshe myle. 1591 G.
Fletcher Russe Commiv. (Hakl. See.) 7 A little isthmus
or narrow slippe of lande, a fewe versts ouerthwart. 1617
MoRYSON Itin. I. 295 In Russia among the Moscovites confining
upon Poland, a mile is called a ferse. X63S Pacitt
Christianogr. 23 From the furthest part westward.. to
Siberia Eastward, is 4400. verst or thereabouts. 0x670 [S.
Collins] Prts. St. Russia (1671) 83 Some ran away ten
Versts before they could be overtaken." 1760 Phil, Trans,
LI. 490 It runs from a great lake, which lies a verste and a
half from its mouth. X775 Wraxall Tour North, Europe
218 Muscovite lords commonly go fifty and sixty versts. .to
make visits to each other. x8o8 R. K. Porter Trav. Sk.
Russ. fy Sived, (1813) I. iv. 27 Seventy or eighty versts above
St. Petersburgh. 1864 Burton Scot Air, II. ii. 204 A
country house of the Tzaar's seven versts from Moscow.
1879 Browning Ivan Ivan. 194 No stiength, old crone,—
not she !—to crawl forth half a verst 1
Ver8t(e, southern ME. varr. FiiiST a. and adv, ;
obs. Sc. ff. Worst a. Versuore, southern ME.
yzx^orswore Forswore.
II versus
(v5-js:?s),/?v/. [L.] Against; em-
ployed in Law to denote an action by one party
against another. Also transf\ Freq. abbrev. v,
(also ver., vs.).
1447-8 Shillincford Lett. (Camden) 53 Also the jugement
by twene..John Husset versus John Notte. 145X Paston
Lett, I. 221, I send yow the scirejacias for Osbern and Foke
versus Heydon and Wyndam. x6ai Debates Ho. Lords
(Camden) 26 Suyt per Fowles in the Starr-chamber versus
Lake and others. 1744 J. Comyks Reports 0/ Cases 634
Wallis ver. Pain and Underbill. X774 J. Adams in Fam.
Lett, (1876) ig, I am engaged in a famous case,— the cause
of King, of Scarborough, versus the mob that broke into
his house. x8sx Scott Peveril Pref. Ep., She may sue me
for damages, as in the case Dido versus Virgil. X839 De
Quincey Casuistry Rom. Meals Wks. 1890 VII. 22 Generally
such a person is 'rather yellow, rather yellow * (to
quote Canning versus Lord Durham). 1873 H. Spencer
Stud.Sociol. il. 38 The old battle-ground of free will versus
necessity. 1894 Outing Feb. 397/2 The Rambler vs, the
Lumberman ;
an indictment for the larceny of a path.
Versute (vajsiw't, v3*rsiKt), a, [ad. h.versulus,
f. vers-, verlire to turn.] Cunning, crafty, wily,
x6x6 J. Lane Contn. Sqr^s T. ix. 15 Her artishe Hers,
wittie versute theeves. Ibid. 73 Ne bee out reachd at
versute pollecie, or once out runn at bardie chivalrie. 1659
Gauden Tears Ch. i. xiv. 132 A person of very supercilious
gravity, also of versute and verti^enous policy. X790 Paley
Horae Paul. i. 6 The second, which is a more versute and
specious forgery.
Tersuteness.
Hence Versntely adv. ;
Also Versutiloquent, 'a crafty talker, one using words
craftily* (Blount Glossogr., 1656), and Versuizloguous,
'talking cunningly or craftily ' (Bailey, vol. II, 1727): both
after L. versutiloquus.
x6i6 J. Lane Contn. Sgr.'s T, x. 128 Now guiltie Horbell,
Leifurcke, Gnartolite, castinge on chaunge, the Hop versutlie
bite. 1685 H. More Cursory Reji. Baxter 29 That he may
become really sensible and ashamed of his present Crooked
Versuteness and Hypocrisie. 1710 R. Ward Life H.More
81 Some Neatness of Stile, Versuteness of lemper, and
Hypocrisie in Religion. 1857 Maurice Mor.