entr'acte

[ ahn-trakt, ahn-trakt; French ahn-trakt ]

/ ɑnˈtrækt, ˈɑn trækt; French ɑ̃ˈtrakt /

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noun, plural en·tr'actes

[ahn-trakts, ahn-trakts; French ahn-trakt]. /ɑnˈtrækts, ˈɑn trækts; French ɑ̃ˈtrakt/.

the interval between two consecutive acts of a theatrical or operatic performance.

a performance, as of music or dancing, given during such an interval.

a piece of music or the like for such performance.

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Origin of entr'acte

First recorded in 1740–50; from French, equivalent to entre “between” (from Latin inter ) + acte “one of the main divisions of a play or opera”; see act

Words nearby entr'acte

entoptic, entourage, entozoan, entozoic, entozoon, entr'acte, entrails, entrain, entrainment, entrammel, entrance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use entr'acte in a sentence

We went out during one of the entr'actes, and a tall woman passed us in the corridor, to whom my friend bowed.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias)|Alexandre Dumas, fils
At the third entr'acte she turned and said two words: the count left the box, and Marguerite beckoned to me to come to her.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias)|Alexandre Dumas, fils
"Ils s'entr' aiment les une les autres," says Brebeuf of the Hurons.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
Note that there is no elision with entre except in compound verbs (entr'ouvrir, etc.).
Contes Franais|Douglas Labaree Buffum

The joyous entr'acte does not take place; the convulsive movements of the wings and the acrobatic postures are suppressed.
More Hunting Wasps|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for entr'acte

entr'acte

/ (ɒnˈtrækt, French ɑ̃trakt) /

noun

an interval between two acts of a play or opera

(esp formerly) an entertainment during an interval, such as dancing between acts of an opera

Word Origin for entr'acte

C19: French, literally: between-act

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