stanza

[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.
Origin
1580-90; < Italian: room, station, stopping-place (plural stanze) < Vulgar Latin *stantia, equivalent to Latin stant- (stem of stāns), present participle of stāre to stand + -ia -y3
Related forms
stanzaed, adjective
stanzaic
[stan-zey-ik] /stænˈzeɪ ɪk/ (Show IPA), stanzaical, adjective
stanzaically, adverb
nonstanzaic, adjective
unstanzaic, adjective
Synonyms
See verse.
Examples from the web for stanza
  • The few archaisms have disappeared, and so have all such outworn tricks as that exemplified in the stanza quoted above.
  • In stanza three, there is an example of alliteration.
  • The group writes a sixth stanza together, with pictures.
  • In tune, stanza form, and text it resembles a number of spirituals.
  • If you maintain intensity, a softly spoken stanza can be even more effective than one delivered at the top of your lungs.
British Dictionary definitions for stanza

stanza

/ˈstænzə/
noun
1.
(prosody) a fixed number of verse lines arranged in a definite metrical pattern, forming a unit of a poem
2.
(US & Austral) a half or a quarter in a football match
Derived Forms
stanzaed, adjective
stanzaic (stænˈzeɪɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C16: from Italian: halting place, from Vulgar Latin stantia (unattested) station, from Latin stāre to stand
Word Origin and History for stanza
n.

"group of rhymed verse lines," 1580s, from Italian stanza "verse of a poem," originally "standing, stopping place," from Vulgar Latin *stantia "a stanza of verse," so called from the stop at the end of it, from Latin stans (genitive stantis), present participle of stare "to stand" (see stet).

stanza in Culture

stanza definition


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.

Slang definitions & phrases for stanza

stanza

noun

A period, an inning, a round, a chukker, or some other division of a game or contest; canto: The Jets pulled an el foldo in the third stanza (1933+ Sports)


Encyclopedia Article for stanza

a division of a poem consisting of two or more lines arranged together as a unit. More specifically, a stanza usually is a group of lines arranged together in a recurring pattern of metrical lengths and a sequence of rhymes.

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