Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A short verse.
- n. A short sentence spoken or chanted by a priest and followed by a response from the congregation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A little verse; specifically, in liturgics, one of a succession of short verses said or sung alternately by the officiant and choir or people; especially, the verse said by the officiant or leader as distinguished from the response (R) of the choir or congregation. See verse, 2 . The name of the versicles is sometimes given distinctively to the versicles and responses (preces) after the creed at morning and evening prayer in the Anglican Church. The liturgical sign of the versicle, used in prayer-books, is V.
Wiktionary
- n. In poetry, and songs, particularly hymns, one of a series of lines that are shorter than a standard line of verse.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A little verse; especially, a short verse or text said or sung in public worship by the priest or minister, and followed by a response from the people.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a short verse said or sung by a priest or minister in public worship and followed by a response from the congregation
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Latin versiculus, diminutive of versus, verse; see verse1. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Moreover, he served the Brothers humbly in his office of sacristan for nearly four years, and so that versicle which is sung for confessors was apt and fitting for him "who was ever pious and prudent, lowly and modest, sober and chaste and peaceful so long as this present life endured in his bodily limbs.”
“The eighth is the identical in text, but not in music, to the Introit of the feast of the Holy Trinity, and has a different versicle accompanying it; the last of these nine is the famous “Ubi caritas.””
“The Hour of Matins is divided into three nocturns, as on the greater feasts, each of which consists of three psalms with their antiphons, a versicle, and three readings with their responsories.”
“The name of this extremely popular Yiddish work derives from the beginning of the versicle “O maidens of Zion, go forth and gaze …” (Song of Songs 3: 11) which appears in the frontispiece after the title: חמשה חומשי תורה מגילות והפטרות בלשון אשכנז (The five books of the Pentateuch, the Megillot and the Haftarot in Yiddish).”
“One back in the chancel, the clerks sing more ployphonic acclamations, a versicle and a further prayer, ending with a final Benedicamus.”
“Other chants, like Agnus dei: Qui pius ac mitis, were expanded, or “troped” with additional text and music, and it was perhaps as an educational gesture that Greek, Hebrew, and Galician words were added to the ancient double-versicle “prosa” Alleluia: Gratulemur et letemur.”
“The cantor is using the tune from the Gradual at Easter Day mass: "A versicle for Easter Day, the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.”
“LLPB also offers this "versicle for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord" mp3 The text is from the Prologue of John, and is for Christmas Day.”
“He charged through the Our Father versicle, the boys doing a trailing response.”
“Under the vast inverted keel of the choir, dimly lit for Matins, the solemn words of the Office of the Dead echoed and re-echoed as sounds never seemed to do by day, and the fine, sonorous voice of Brother Benedict the sacristan was magnified to fill the whole vault as he read the lessons in between the spoken psalms, and at every ending came the insistent versicle and response:”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘versicle’.
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phrontistery-v
from phrontistery.info
vaccary, vaccimulgence, vaccine, vacillate, vadelect, vade-mecum, vadimony, vadose, vafrous, vagient, vagile, vagility and 396 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Sicle
I sicle, you sicle, we're all sick for something-sicle
Popsicle, Creamsicle, Dreamsicle, Fudgesicle, cake-sicle, Epsicle, poopsicle, motorsickle, findesicle, hammerandsicle, bisicle, ossicle and 19 more...
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DEF's list
Obscure Words
obfuscate, harbinger, morose, meniscus, conspicuous, grandiose, cogitated, matron, erudite, oness, apothegms, assuage and 475 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, V
vespertine, vacuous, versipellous, valve, vatic, virogene, vigneron, vincular, verticil, vespiary, vermiculite, velamen and 128 more...
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V
vainglory, variegated, vermiculated, vertiginous, viridescent, vitiate, vituperate, viva voce, voluble, virago, verdure, vespillo and 9 more...
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selenography's Words
Mostly words I don't know the meanings to, words that have very interesting secondary (other) meanings, and words that I just like and think sound beautiful: like oblique
mellifluous, estrus, proclivity, fata morgana, aphorism, proscenium, versicle, topsyturvy, arch, saturnine, bravura, oblique and 37 more...
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absquatulate, bloviate, clinchpoop
In which I reveal that, for the most part, I have the sense of humour of a third-grader.
scuttlebutt, fisticuffs, milquetoast, besotted, behemoth, filibuster, verklempt, indefatigable, plenipotentiary, porcine, mitosis, strumpet and 65 more...
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herotuesday's Words
butyraceous, thrasonical, turgid, ululate, irenic, punctilio, discombobulate, ecdysiast, formicate, favonian, agnate, erubescence and 614 more...
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sed libera nos a malo
One of the last vestiges of my Catholic upbringing is my interest in and love for language that pertains to it.
psalm, breviary, ecclesiastical, absolve, stigmata, catechumen, hymn, chorister, plainsong, litany, benediction, cloistered and 59 more...
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