'versify' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'versificare,' where 'versus' meant 'a line or row, especially in poetry' and 'facere' meant 'to make.'

'versificare' transformed into the Old French word 'versifier,' and eventually became the modern English word 'versify' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to turn into verse or poetry,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.