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Versicle

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A short line or phrase, often in liturgical verse, used as a responsive unit

Detailed Definition
A versicle is a short verse or line, often used liturgically as a call-and-response element in religious services, but in poetry may refer to a brief, epigrammatic unit that encapsulates a thought, image, or invocation with concentrated force.
Example
Example in poetry:
Versicle: Liturgical call-and-response: "O Lord, open thou our lips"; In poetry: George Herbert’s "The Call" uses versicle structure; Contemporary: "Versicles" by Mary Ruefle mimic prayer fragments; Short, responsive lines in Denise Levertov’s religious poems
Additional Notes
Short verse, especially responsive line in liturgy. From Latin "little verse." Religious poetry term. Study with antiphonal verse and liturgical poetry forms.
Also Known As
Short verse Brief line Liturgical response Verse snippet
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