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coda

[koh-duh]
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noun

Music. a more or less independent passage, at the end of a composition, introduced to bring it to a satisfactory close.
Ballet. the concluding section of a ballet, especially the final part of a pas de deux.
a concluding section or part, especially one of a conventional form and serving as a summation of preceding themes, motifs, etc., as in a work of literature or drama.
anything that serves as a concluding part.
Phonetics. the segment of a syllable following the nucleus, as the d-sound in good.Compare core1(def 14), onset(def 3).

RELATED WORDS

farewell, windup, summation, postscript, finale, sequel, ending, conclusion, postlude, peroration, follow-up, adieu, climax, culmination, epilogue, goodbye, closer, envoi, finis

Origin of coda

1745–55; < Italian < Latin cauda tail; cf. queue
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for coda

coda

noun

music the final, sometimes inessential, part of a musical structure
a concluding part of a literary work, esp a summary at the end of a novel of further developments in the lives of the characters

Word Origin for coda

C18: from Italian: tail, from Latin cauda
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for coda
n.

"concluding passage in a musical composition," 1753, from Latin cauda "tail of an animal."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for coda

coda

An ending to a piece of music, standing outside the formal structure of the piece. Coda is the Italian word for “tail.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.