WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Stan"za
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [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.]
Definition : 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. Horace confines himself strictly to one sort of verse, or stanza, in every ode. Dryden.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: An apartment or division in a building; a room or chamber.

pl. Stanzas.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913