coda

[ koh-duh ]

/ ˈkoʊ də /

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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).

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Origin of coda

1745–55; <Italian <Latin cauda tail; cf. queue

Words nearby coda

cocozelle, Cocteau, cocurricular, cocuswood, cod, coda, cod-act, co-day, codder, coddle, code

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use coda in a sentence

In its last act and the coda that follows, Old becomes more sentimental, more of a family drama than the film seemed to be at the start — and then, all of a sudden, it turns into something like science fiction.
M. Night Shyamalan returns with Old, a floppy but haunting thriller about aging|Alissa Wilkinson|July 23, 2021|Vox
A bright, zesty lemon pudding makes a lovely coda to any meal, but topped with a quick blueberry whipped cream, it becomes a truly festive dessert.
Make lemon pudding with blueberry whipped cream your next dinner party dessert|Adam Roberts|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
In his stringent efforts not to tell us what to think, Anthony makes some woolly detours, including a short coda that shows a group of students making a TV pilot as a class assignment.
Documentary All Light, Everywhere Examines the Limits of Police Body Cameras—and Our Own Perceptions|Stephanie Zacharek|June 4, 2021|Time
Technically, there’s a fair amount of one-last-job action noir left after the doors close — but it’s pretty forgettable, pure coda, after that meeting and separation.
What floor?|Sophia Nguyen|February 12, 2021|Washington Post

The coda of this story is that my father, eventually and to his credit, got behind me and supported whatever direction I wished to take.
Traditional school isn’t always the way to go, and I wish my parents had seen that earlier|Kenneth R. Rosen|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Of course, you can read this just as a brilliant, subversive coda to a horror movie.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven't seen season five episode eight of The Walking Dead, “Coda”
Norman Reedus on Motorcycles, Multitasking, And That Mid-Season Finale: “This Was A Rough One”|Oliver Jones|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The scene serves as the coda to The Last of the Unjust, and it ranks as one of the most splendid closing sequences in cinema.
Confessions of a Death Camp Collaborator: Claude Lanzmann’s ‘The Last of the Unjust’|Jimmy So|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Melville then appends an ultra-weird coda: There would seem little need for proceeding further in this history.
David's Bookclub: Bartleby the Scrivener|David Frum|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And then the joke in the last verse of watching Walter Cronkite deliver the coda.
Overrated/Underrated: I Do/Don't Believe in Zimmerman|Michael Tomasky|May 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And again, it has a coda pausing on the dominant chord and followed by an Andantino.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
The coda is one of the most fascinating ever penned by Schubert.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
Beethoven had originally intended that the entire scherzo, with the trio, should be repeated, and then be concluded by the coda.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume I (of 2)|Carl Engel
It has the rondo form; the principal theme, twice relieved by an interlude, recurs three times, and winds up with a coda.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
Finally, a new and important climax is introduced in the coda by the opposition of the two chief subjects.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Otto Jahn

British Dictionary definitions for coda

coda

/ (ˈkəʊdə) /

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

Cultural 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.”

coda

Origin of coda

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British Dictionary definitions for coda

Word Origin for coda

Cultural definitions for coda