intermezzo
nounUK /ɪntəˈmɛtsəʊ/ · US /ɪntɚˈmɛtsoʊ/
Etymology Borrowed from Italian intermezzo. Doublet of intermede and intermedium
1
Art, Arts, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A short piece of music or act in the interval of the main spectacle; a theatrical interlude.
- Thespis’ single actor served only to create an intermezzo between choral chants.1924, Herbert Weir Smyth, “I. Introduction”, in Aeschylean Tragedy, page 19:
- She had ample time, too, to change for the next scene, which started with a longish intermezzo staged by a ballet company whose services Scotty had engaged [...].1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 8:
3
Board games, Chess, Games A tactical move which interrupts the execution of the current plan.
- Derived terms
- intermezzo-like, wet intermezzo
- Related terms
- interlude, zwischenzug, tenuki