See Also: strophe(dictionary)

strophe (iou)



strophe noun. . E17.
[Greek strophe (whence late Latin stropha) lit. 'turning', from stroph- ablaut var. of base of strephein to turn.]
Orig., a movement from right to left in Greek choruses and dances, answered by an antistrophe; the lines of choral song recited during this movement. Also (Prosody), a metrically structured section of a usu. Greek choral ode or lyric verse, the structure of which is repeated in an antistrophe. More widely, a group of lines forming a section of a lyric poem.
strophic adjective (a) Prosody pertaining to or consisting of strophes; belonging to the strophe as distinguished from the antistrophe; (b) (of a song) in which each verse is sung to the same tune;
strophic variations, a style of 17th-cent. Italian vocal music in which the melody varies in each stanza while the bass remains the same: M19.
strophical adjective (Prosody, rare) = strophic (a) L19.