stanza

American  

[stan-zuh] / ˈstæn zə /

noun

Prosody.

stanzas plural

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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Synonym Usage

See verse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stanzas
  plural

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

Since the Stanza is still in the concept stage, there’s no pricing and availability yet, and no guarantee that it’s going to become a real thing you can buy.

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

The third hall of the pope, called the Stanza del Incendio, was painted from 1514 to 1517.

From Famous European Artists by Bolton, Sarah K.

Related Words

• verse