stanza

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Stanza \Stan"za\ (st[a^]n"z[.a]), n.; pl. Stanzas (-z[.a]z). [It. stanza a room, habitation, a stanza, i. e., a stop, fr. L. stans, p. pr. of stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Estancia, Stance, Stanchion.]

1.A number of lines or verses forming a division of a song or poem, and agreeing in meter, rhyme, number of lines, etc., with other divisions; a part of a poem, ordinarily containing every variation of measure in that poem; a combination or arrangement of lines usually recurring, whether like or unlike, in measure. [1913 Webster]

Horace confines himself strictly to one sort of verse, or stanza, in every ode.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]

2.(Arch.) An apartment or division in a building; a room or chamber. [1913 Webster]

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