encore

[ahng-kawr, -kohr, ahn-]

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interjection

again; once more (used by an audience in calling for an additional number or piece).

noun

a demand, as by applause, for a repetition of a song, act, etc., or for a performance of a number or piece additional to those on a program, or for a reappearance by the performers, as at the end of a concert, recital, etc.

the performance or reappearance in response to such a demand: He chose a Chopin nocturne for his encore.

any repeated or additional performance or appearance, as a rerun of a telecast or a rematch in sports.

verb (used with object), en·cored, en·cor·ing.

to call for a repetition of.

to call for an encore from (a performer).

Origin of encore

1705–15; < French: still, yet, besides < Latin hinc hā hōrā or hinc ad hōram until this hour

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for encore

return, reappearance, number, acclamation, praise, plaudits, repetition, response, cheers

Examples from the Web for encore

Contemporary Examples of encore

The band manages one encore, “Whipping Post,” but halfway through the number the audience is busily streaming toward the exits.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band
Grover Lewis
March 15, 2014
The crowd bawls its approval, but begins to disperse after one encore.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band
Grover Lewis
March 15, 2014
And when, in a flurry of light and color, the band plays “Young Blood” as an encore, the house erupts.
The Naked and Famous, New Zealand’s Synthpop Quintet, Is Here to Make You Happy
Melissa Leon
November 1, 2013
It is as if Smilevski is demanding an encore by thumping on his own book.
Goce Smilevski’s ‘Freud’s Sister’
Lauren Elkin
January 11, 2013
The one event that could upend that is an encore from a passive, disengaged Obama.
Robert Shrum on the Vice Presidential Debate: Biden’s Win Was a Big F@$&ing Deal
Robert Shrum
October 12, 2012

Historical Examples of encore

When the "encore" was over, Alice spoke to him for the first time.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
He did not wait to ascertain if there might be a few more bars of encore.
The Spoilers of the Valley
Robert Watson
Oh, I do certainly hope he plays that lovely Valse Poupée as an encore!
A Book of Burlesques
H. L. Mencken
Encore un moment,” said Francis Ardry; “and when shall I see you again?
Lavengro
George Borrow
There was no question about their enthusiasm, and an encore was inevitable.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil

British Dictionary definitions for encore

encore

interjection

again; once more: used by an audience to demand an extra or repeated performance

noun

an extra or repeated performance given in response to enthusiastic demand

verb

(tr) to demand an extra or repeated performance of (a work, piece of music, etc) by (a performer)

Word Origin for encore

C18: from French: still, again, perhaps from Latin in hanc hōram until this hour

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 encore

interj.

1712, from French encore "still, yet, again" (12c.), generally explained as being from Vulgar Latin phrase *hinc ad horam "from then to this hour" (Italian ancora "again, still, yet" is said to be a French loan-word).

Whenever any Gentlemen are particularly pleased with a Song, at their crying out Encore ... the Performer is so obliging as to sing it over again. [Steele, "Spectator" No. 314, 1712]

There appears to be no evidence that either the Fr. or It. word was ever similarly used in its native country. The corresponding word both in Fr. and It. is bis; in It. da capo was formerly used. [OED]

As a noun, from 1763; as a verb, from 1748.