stanza

American  

[stan-zuh] / ˈstæn zə /

noun

Prosody.

1. an arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.

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stanza British  

/ ˈstænzə, stænˈzeɪɪk /

noun

1. prosody a fixed number of verse lines arranged in a definite metrical pattern, forming a unit of a poem

2. a half or a quarter in a football match

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stanza Cultural  

1. A group of lines of verse, usually set off from other groups by a space. The stanzas of a poem often have the same internal pattern of rhymes.

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Related Words

See verse.

Other Word Forms

• nonstanzaic
  adjective
• stanzaed
  adjective
• stanzaic
  adjective
• stanzaical
  adjective
• stanzaically
  adverb
• unstanzaic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stanza

First recorded in 1580–90; from Italian: literally, “room, station, stopping-place” (plural stanze ), from unattested Vulgar Latin stantia, equivalent to Latin stant- (stem of stāns ), present participle of stāre “to stand” + -ia abstract noun suffix; see stand, -y ³

Explanation

Stanzas are the building blocks of formal poetry, like paragraphs in a story or verses in a song. They usually have the same number of lines each time, and often use a rhyming pattern that repeats with each new stanza. Shakespeare was the master of the stanza. His sonnets had three stanzas that were each four lines long, and then a two-line stanza at the end, all with a very particular rhyme and rhythm pattern. Poems with stanzas always have some sort of structure to them, but not all poetry uses stanzas, for example — free verse tends to be wild poetry without structural rules.

Example Sentences

The Concept Stanza is an 11-inch tablet that’s meant to simplify the process of taking notes at work.

From The Verge • Dec. 15, 2021

It covers one of the walls of the Stanza della Segnatura, one of the Raphael Rooms at the Vatican.

From Slate • May 28, 2020

The Stanza Stones project is a collaboration between renowned local poet Simon Armitage, artist Pip Hall and the Ilkley Literature festival.

From The Guardian • Aug. 1, 2012

One vehicular victim: Patricia and Henry Schmidt’s maroon 1992 Nissan Stanza, which was parked in front of their house, on Goldington Court in Middle Village.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2010

Some of the lines changed most notably are as follows: Stanza     1.

From The Poems of Philip Freneau, Volume I (of III) by Freneau, Philip

Related Words

• verse