epilogue
Americannoun
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a usually short section appended to the conclusion of a book or film.
The novel ends rather grimly, but the epilogue reveals that most of the characters go on to find fulfillment.
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a later event that illuminates or reinforces the significance of an earlier set of events.
The sad life of Tasso, the last great poet of the Italian Renaissance, was a fitting epilogue to the age, whose genius also declined into decadence.
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a speech, usually in verse, delivered by one of the actors after the conclusion of a play.
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the actor who delivers a play’s epilogue.
noun
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a speech, usually in verse, addressed to the audience by an actor at the end of a play
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the actor speaking this
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a short postscript to any literary work, such as a brief description of the fates of the characters in a novel
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(esp formerly) the concluding programme of the day on a radio or television station, often having a religious content
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of epilogue
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English epiloge, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epílogos “conclusion of a speech,” equivalent to epi- epi- + lógos “word”
Explanation
If you like to read the end of a book first, then maybe the epilogue is for you. The epilogue is a short piece that wraps up the end of a story. The noun epilogue can also refer to the short speech at the end of a play that one of the characters speaks directly to the audience. In Shakespeare's play The Tempest, the epilogue is a 20-line monologue spoken by Prospero. Epilogue comes from the Greek word epilogus meaning the conclusion of a speech.
Vocabulary lists containing epilogue
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Epilogue also offers outdoor seating for people who can’t provide proof of vaccination.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2022
SALEM, Ore. — It’s hard to miss Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails when walking through Salem’s downtown district.
From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2022
As Rich notes in his Epilogue, it’s also been quite successful:
From The Guardian • Aug. 6, 2018
On the Domestic Efficiency Association and kindred organizations, see the Epilogue.
From Slate • Nov. 28, 2017
China then ceased to be innovative for reasons about which we shall speculate in the Epilogue.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
