Adjacent Words

intermezzo definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a short movement coming between the major sections of a symphony
2: a short piece of instrumental music composed for performance between acts of a drama or opera
3: a brief show (music or dance etc) inserted between the sections of a longer performance [syn: interlude, intermezzo, entr'acte]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural intermezzi or -zos) Etymology: Italian, ultimately from Latin intermedius intermediate Date: 1771 1. a short light entr'acte 2. a. a movement coming between the major sections of an extended musical work (as an opera) b. a short independent instrumental composition 3. a usually brief interlude or diversion

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. intermezzi or -os) 1 a a short connecting instrumental movement in an opera or other musical work. b a similar piece performed independently. c a short piece for a solo instrument. 2 a short light dramatic or other performance inserted between the acts of a play. Etymology: It. f. L intermedium interval (as INTERMEDIATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Intermezzo In`ter*mez"zo, n. [It. See Intermede.] (Mus.) An interlude; an intermede. See Intermede.

Moby Thesaurus

abeyance, act, afterpiece, anacrusis, bass passage, bit, bourdon, break, bridge, burden, cadence, caesura, cease-fire, chaser, chorus, coda, coffee break, curtain, curtain call, curtain raiser, day off, development, divertimento, divertissement, division, downtime, drop, epilogue, exode, exodus, exposition, expository scene, figure, finale, folderol, half time, half-time intermission, harmonic close, hesitation, hoke act, holiday, interim, interlude, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, introduction, introductory phrase, lapse, layoff, letup, lull, measure, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, number, off-time, ornament, part, passage, pause, period, phrase, plateau, point of repose, prologue, quiet spell, recess, refrain, relief, remission, resolution, respite, response, rest, resting point, ritornello, routine, scene, section, shtick, sketch, skit, song and dance, stand-down, stand-up comedy act, stanza, statement, stay, strain, striptease, suspension, tailpiece, time off, time out, truce, turn, tutti, tutti passage, vacation, variation, verse