strophe

[ stroh-fee ]

/ ˈstroʊ fi /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strophe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the part of an ancient Greek choral ode sung by the chorus when moving from right to left.

the movement performed by the chorus during the singing of this part.

the first of the three series of lines forming the divisions of each section of a Pindaric ode.

(in modern poetry) any separate section or extended movement in a poem, distinguished from a stanza in that it does not follow a regularly repeated pattern.

RELATED WORDS

verse, refrain, division, stave

Nearby words

Origin of strophe

1595–1605; < Greek strophḗ a twist, turning about, akin to stréphein to turn; see strepto-

SYNONYMS FOR strophe

3 See verse.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strophe ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for strophe

This longer fourth line is one of the most marked characteristics of the "Nibelungen" strophe.
The Nibelungenlied|Unknown
If I may venture an opinion, I think it inconceivably difficult to get at the pith of the strophe.
Lucky Pehr|August Strindberg
The abrupt beginning of the first strophe offends some commentators, who have tried to smooth ver.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 2|Alexander Maclaren
What in this strophe is said of Ullr has apparently reference to a lost myth.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson|Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson

The voice of God, which uttered the first strophe, does not seem to resume till ver.
The Expositor's Bible|George Adam Smith

British Dictionary definitions for strophe

strophe

/ (ˈstrəʊfɪ) /

noun prosody

(in ancient Greek drama)

the first of two movements made by a chorus during the performance of a choral ode
the first part of a choral ode sung during this movement

(in classical verse) the first division of the threefold structure of a Pindaric ode

the first of two metrical systems used alternately within a poem

Word Origin for strophe

C17: from Greek: a verse, literally: a turning, from strephein to twist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for strophe

strophe

c.1600, from Greek strophe "stanza," originally "a turning," in reference to the section of an ode sung by the chorus while turning in one direction, from strephein "to turn," from PIE *strebh- "to wind, turn" (cf. Greek strophaligs "whirl, whirlwind," streblos "twisted").