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DictionarycantoPoem division
noun

canto

KAN-toh/ˈkæntəʊ/

A main division of a long poem.

Each canto occupies a major section of the long poem.

Open long-poem book visibly divided into major sections by simple Roman numerals I,II,III on separate exposed section tabs, no prose or chapter heading; only these functional section numbers.
Etymology
cantoLatinsong, singing

Latin cantus meant a song or singing. The corresponding Italian word for 'song' was applied to a section of a long poem, giving the poetic division its name.

In context

Hailey Public Library67:59
writing not just another canto cuz the cantos are kind of a record of struggle
Ezra Pound - Canto XLV: Outrage, Denunciation and Tolerance with Dr. Robert von Hallberg

More examples

  • A new character appears in the third canto.
  • Each canto develops another stage of the journey.
  • The translator preserves the poem's division into cantos.

Forms

canto · cantos

Similar words

stanza
A smaller grouping of lines within a poem.
chapter
Usually a division of prose rather than a long poem.