Definition

A grouped set of lines in a poem, separated by blank lines and functioning like a paragraph in prose. Stanzas organize poems into readable and thematic units, each typically containing a fixed number of lines or a recurring metrical pattern.

Example Usage

The poem had five stanzas, each one exploring a different season.

Origin

From Italian 'stanza,' meaning 'room' or 'dwelling,' used metaphorically to describe a section of a poem as a separate compartment of thought.

Fun Fact

Different stanza forms have specific names: a two-line stanza is a couplet, a three-line stanza is a tercet, and a four-line stanza is a quatrain.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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