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; stand, -y ³

Example Sentences

She could multiply fractions, turn a cartwheel, and recite entire stanzas of “The Wreck of the Hesperus,” a marvelous poem about a shipwreck by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

From Literature

Penelope read quickly, her finger hovering over each stanza.

From Literature

“I read the stanzas and try to paint pictures with the notes.”

From Los Angeles Times

In his analysis of “Moving Towards Home,” Miller highlights stanzas such as:

From Salon

With every stanza, she settled into a musical rhythm that was satiric and bitingly honest.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• verse