exode means departure; exodus, especially the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It carries an Arena rating of 1665, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exode ranks #2 of 13,217 for Most Storied Words, #516 of 13,217 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #520 of 13,217 for Most Sublime Words, #2,956 of 13,217 for Most Beautiful Words.
Why “exode” is a great word
The final chorus, catastrophe, or comic afterpiece concluding a Greek drama. From Latin exōdium, from Ancient Greek ἐξόδιον (exódion, 'final scene or departure'), from ἐξ (ex, 'out') and ὁδός (hodós, 'way, road'), the word was in use in Middle English by c. 1225. Unlike exodus, which evokes a monumental, collective flight, or epilogue, which offers a reflective coda, an exode is the structural conclusion itself—the formal mechanism of release. It is the shuffling exit of the satyr chorus into the twilight, the jarring laughter of the farcical afterpiece, and the last door closing on an emptied stage—a scripted end to the artifice, leaving only the echo of footsteps in the common air.
Etymology
From Latin exodium, from Ancient Greek ἐξόδιον (exódion).
noun
- departure; exodus, especially the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt“a. 1751, Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, an essay
constant or standing miracles before the exode , at the exode , in the wilderness , in the promised land , under their judges , and under their kings”
- The final chorus; the catastrophe.
- A comic afterpiece, either a farce or a travesty.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- exodos 91% match — A final scene or departure in a play, especially a tragedy. vs exode →
- exodium 85% match — Synonym of exode (“a comic performance after a tragedy”). vs exode →
- exeunt 81% match — A stage direction for more than one actor to leave the stage. vs exode →
- epode 80% match — The after song; the part of a lyric or choral ode which follows the strophe and antistrophe. vs exode →
- parodos 79% match — A side entrance to an Ancient Greek theater, affording access to the stage or orchestra. vs exode →
- exequy 78% match — Funeral rites. vs exode →
- threnode 78% match — A dirge or funeral song. vs exode →
- finis 78% match — Of a book or other work: the end. vs exode →