interlude means an intervening episode, etc.
interlude is pronounced /ˈɪntə(ɹ)luːd/.
Why “interlude” is a great word
A brief, intervening episode or performance occurring between the main parts of a play, musical composition, or other event. From the Latin inter- ("between") and ludus ("play, game"). Unlike an "intermission" (which denotes a scheduled pause for rest) or an "interval" (which implies a gap or cessation), an interlude is itself a substantive performance, a miniature play within the pause. It is the juggler who appears before the second act, the whimsical piano étude that bridges two symphonic movements, or the short, quiet film shown while the stage is reset. The interlude knows it is secondary and therefore free: unburdened by narrative obligation, it offers pleasure without consequence, dissolving into the memory of the whole like a sugared almond melting on the tongue.
noun
- An intervening episode, etc.
- An entertainment between the acts of a play.
- A short piece put between the parts of a longer composition.
verb
- To provide with an interlude.e.g.“Jimmy Jam, co-producer of Ms. Jackson’s heavily interluded and influential 1989 album, “Rhythm Nation 1814” (and producer of a forthcoming album by Usher with interludes), also defended them.”
- To serve as an interlude.e.g.“During some brief, interluding, silent pauses in their interview thus far, Pierre had heard a soft, slow, sad, to-and-fro, meditative stepping on the floor above; […]”
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