What does strophe mean?
A strophe is a rhythmic or metrical unit within a poem, especially a group of lines organized by a repeated pattern. It may correspond broadly to a stanza, but the two terms are not perfectly synonymous: stanza usually identifies a poem's formal division, while strophe draws attention to rhythm, meter, recurrence, or musical organization. In classical Greek and Roman theatre, a strophe was a section of choral song performed in alternation with an antistrophe, often with corresponding movements by the chorus. The word is therefore useful when discussing the musical and patterned architecture of verse, particularly in poetry, prosody, song, and classical drama. In modern critical writing, it can also describe a repeated group of lines that functions like a refrain within a larger poem.
nounA strophe is a rhythmic or metrical division of a poem, typically consisting of a group of lines that share a repeated pattern. In classical Greek and Roman drama, the term also refers to a section of a choral song performed in alternation with an antistrophe.
- A rhythmic or metrical division of a poem, especially a group of lines governed by a recurring pattern.
- In classical Greek and Roman drama, one of the alternating sections of a choral song, paired with an antistrophe.
"The song's final strophe returns to the melody heard in the opening verse."
"Each strophe of the poem contains four lines, but only the first two rhyme."
"The chorus enters with a new strophe, answering the antistrophe sung by the preceding section."
The plural is strophes, with the final e retained.
"The final strophes of the poem introduce a new pattern of rhyming."
A strophe is poetry’s recurring musical phrase: the part of a song that can return, vary, and answer what came before.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does strophe come from?
The word comes through Latin from Greek strophē, meaning “a turning” or “turning round,” from the verb strephein, “to turn.” Greek poetry used strophe and antistrophe for the successive parts of a choral song, which the performers executed with corresponding movements. The word entered English through its use in discussions of ancient metre and poetry.
Related word forms
How strophe is actually used
This is primarily a literary and technical term. It is not always exactly interchangeable with stanza: stanza describes a poem's formal division, whereas strophe often emphasizes rhythm, meter, or musical organization. In discussions of classical drama, it has a more specific choreographed and musical sense.
Easily confused with strophe
A stanza is a formally arranged group of lines in a poem, while a strophe more specifically refers to a rhythmic or metrical division, especially when discussing repeated musical or verbal patterns.