interlude

[in-ter-lood]

noun

1. an intervening episode, period, space, etc.

   Synonyms: pause, intermission, respite, interval

2. a short dramatic piece, especially of a light or farcical character, formerly introduced between the parts or acts of miracle and morality plays or given as part of other entertainments.

3. one of the early English farces or comedies, as those written by John Heywood, which grew out of such pieces.

4. any intermediate performance or entertainment, as between the acts of a play.

5. an instrumental passage or a piece of music rendered between the parts of a song, church service, drama, etc.

interlude

/ ˈɪntəˌluːd /

noun

1. a period of time or different activity between longer periods, processes, or events; episode or interval

2. theatre a short dramatic piece played separately or as part of a longer entertainment, common in 16th-century England

3. a brief piece of music, dance, etc, given between the sections of another performance

Other Word Forms

• interludial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interlude¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin interlūdium, equivalent to Latin inter- inter- + lūd ( us ) play + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of interlude¹

C14: from Medieval Latin interlūdium, from Latin _inter- + lūdus play

Example Sentences

“Mare of Easttown” gets under your skin in those quiet interludes.

From Salon

It currently looks likely that temperatures for most areas will fall slightly below heatwave criteria by the weekend, but after a brief slightly cooler interlude, it's high pressure that will build again through next week.

From BBC

The myriad small towns are brief interludes amid the dairy and poultry farms and lush carpeting of vegetables, fruit and nut trees that stretch to the hazy-brown horizon.

From Los Angeles Times

In “National Brotherhood Week,” which lampooned the brief interlude of imposed tolerance celebrated annually from the 1930s through the early 2000s he wrote:

From Los Angeles Times

“I said this album kinda sound, you got some soul on this album too, bro,” he says on the interlude track “Soulful.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• breathing space 
• idyll 
• lull 
• respite