overture means overt, that is, disclosed. It carries an Arena rating of 1585, earned across 13 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, overture ranks #203 of 42,749 for Qualifying, #622 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #761 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,398 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
overture is pronounced /ˈəʊvətjʊə/.
Why “overture” is a great word
An opening gesture or proposal intended to initiate dialogue, whether in music, diplomacy, or human affairs. From Middle English overture, via Anglo-Norman and Middle French overture ("opening, proposal"), ultimately from Latin apertūra ("opening"), derived from aperīre ("to open")—a doublet of aperture. Unlike a coda, which seals a composition with finality, or an ultimatum, which slams the door on discourse, an overture is the hesitant knock upon it: the first hushed chords before the curtain rises, a diplomat's carefully worded note on heavy stationery, the quiet clearing of a throat before an apology—the fragile, deliberate act of beginning where silence is broken not with force, but with hope.
Etymology
From Middle English overture, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French overture, from Old French overture, from Latin apertūra. Doublet of aperture.
adj
- Overt, that is, disclosed.e.g.“Crest : A falcon, wings overture.” — 1887, Edmund Farrer, The Church Heraldry of Norfolk, page 74:
noun
- An opening; a recess or chamber.e.g.“c. 1612', George Chapman, A Hymne to Hermes
the cave's inmost overture”
- Disclosure; discovery; revelation.e.g.“It was he
That made the overture of thy treasons to us.” — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, publishe
- An approach or proposal made to initiate communication, establish a relationship etc.e.g.“overture of friendship”
- A motion placed before a legislative body, such as the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
- A musical introduction to a longer piece of music or a dramatic work (such as a play, an opera, or a motion picture).e.g.“The overture was almost at a close; and silence being now more effective than any thing that he could urge in favour of the play, Courtenaye went behind the scenes:...” — 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A First Night”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 66:
- A medley of themes from a larger work, such as an opera or musical, typically played at the beginning but sometimes played at any part of the work or performed as a standalone piece.e.g.“The paradoxical use of an overture at the end of a concert occasionally gave rise to satire in the musical press.” — 2017 April 27, Steven Vande Moortele, The Romantic Overture and Musical Form from Rossini to Wagner, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 24:
verb
- To make overtures; to approach with a proposal.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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