strophe

IPA/ˈstrəʊfi/
IPA/ˈstrəʊfi/

strophe — noun

  • strophesingular
  • strophesplural

1. several lines of a poem treated as a single unit, especially in formal discussio

1.nounC2
Definition

several lines of a poem treated as a single unit, especially in formal discussion of poetry.

Example

During class, Caleb marked each strophe with a different colored pencil.

each strophe as one counted unit

The first strophe returns later in the hymn with new words.

first strophe in a repeated structure

Common collocations
  • first strophe
  • final strophe
  • third strophe
  • opening strophe
Synonyms
  • stanza

    the usual modern term for a grouped section of a poem

  • verse

    broader term that can also mean a song section or poetry in general

  • section

    general word that does not specifically suggest poetic form

Grammar Patterns

first strophe

final strophe

strophe of + poem

each strophe ends with + noun

Usage Note

Mainly used in literary or technical discussion of poetry. In ordinary modern English, stanza is more common for poems, and verse is more common for songs.

Common Mistakes

The singer forgot the second strophe of the song.
The singer forgot the second verse of the song.
In ordinary talk about songs, verse is much more common; strophe is mostly a literary term.
The poem has four strophe.
The poem has four strophes.
The noun is countable and takes the regular plural strophes.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Strophe and stanza are close in meaning, but they are not used in exactly the same way. Stanza is the ordinary modern term for a grouped section of a poem, so it works in school discussion, literary essays, and everyday explanation. Strophe is more formal and often appears in technical writing, especially when the writer wants a classical or structural label. Verse is broader: it can mean a section of a song, one part of a poem, or poetry in general, depending on context. Because verse has these wider uses, it is less exact than strophe when you are analysing poetic structure. Use stanza in general explanation, but use strophe for more formal analysis.

strophe ↗stanza ↗verse ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • first strophe
  • final strophe
  • opening strophe

Phrases

  • mark each strophe
  • compare one strophe with another

Prepositions

  • strophe of

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Strophe comes from Greek strophe, meaning a turning. In ancient Greek drama, it named the part sung while the chorus moved in one direction, and from that older stage use it later came to mean a grouped section of a poem.

First known use

1603

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1a