A stanza is a group of lines in a poem that are usually set apart from other groups by a blank line or indentation. It functions like a paragraph in prose, grouping related ideas or themes together within the poem

. Stanzas can vary in length, from as short as one or two lines to longer forms like eight or nine lines, and they may follow specific rhyme schemes and meters, although this is not always required

. Stanzas help organize a poem's structure, guide the reader through different ideas or emotions, and contribute to the poem's overall shape and rhythm. Different types of stanzas have names based on their line count, such as couplet (2 lines), tercet (3 lines), quatrain (4 lines), sestet (6 lines), and octave (8 lines)

. The term "stanza" comes from the Italian word for "room," reflecting how stanzas serve as distinct "rooms" or sections within a poem

. In summary, a stanza is a fundamental building block of poetry, grouping lines together to form a unit of meaning and structure, much like a paragraph in prose or a verse in a song