I was recently reading through selected writings of John Rosenberg, former dean of the College of Humanities at BYU, when I came across some interesting etymology. I give all credit to Dr. Rosenberg for pointing this information out.
The word "verse" comes from the Latin root "vertere," meaning "to turn or change direction." When we finish singing a verse of a song, we turn back to the beginning and start again.
This root can also be seen in words like "versus," when people turn against each other, and "reverse," when we turn back in the other direction.
Most importantly, this root can be seen in the word "convert," to turn with someone. In gospel terms, we are truly converted when we turn with Christ, away from the world and toward goodness, righteousness, and eternal life. We change directions, and as President Uchtdorf pointed out in "A Matter of a Few Degrees," we should be making course corrections daily. We should become converted daily. When we err, we should become converted immediately.
Turn with Christ. Isn't that beautiful? And we have a reminder of it every time we sing multiple verses of a hymn.
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