stanza

[stan-zuh]

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.

stanza

/ 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

stanza

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stanza¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stanza¹

C16: from Italian: halting place, from Vulgar Latin stantia (unattested) station, from Latin stāre to stand

Synonym Study

See verse.

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.

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Penelope read quickly, her finger hovering over each stanza.

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

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

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

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Related Words

• verse