Crossword clues for versicle
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Versicle \Ver"si*cle\, n. [L. versiculus, dim. of versus. See Verse.] 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.
The psalms were in number fifteen, . . . being digested
into versicles.
--Strype.
Wiktionary
n. In poetry, and songs, particularly hymns, one of a series of lines that are shorter than a standard line of verse.
WordNet
n. a short verse said or sung by a priest or minister in public worship and followed by a response from the congregation
Wikipedia
A versicle is the first half of a preces, said or sung by an officiant or cantor, and answered with a said or sung response by the congregation or choir.
For example, in the following opening of the Anglican service of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer, the first line is the versicle and the second is the response.
O: O Lord, open thou our lips P: And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.In some liturgical books (such as hymnals or breviaries), the symbol "V" or "℣" is used.
Usage examples of "versicle".
It was from this antiphonal song, this alternation of versicle and respond, that the religious drama of the Middle Ages took its rise.
But, too, it was inevitable that the race succumb again to the old maladies on new worlds, even as on Earth before, in the litany of life and in the special liturgy of Man: Versicles by Adam.