postlude
noun
Did you know?
Postlude is the lesser-known counterpart to "prelude" - and in fact, "postlude" was created based on the example of "prelude," substituting "post-" for "pre-." At the root of both terms is the Latin verb ludere ("to play"), and a postlude is essentially "something played afterward." Although "prelude" first appeared in print in the 16th century, "postlude" didn't turn up until 1851. "Prelude" was first used in the general sense of "something preliminary" and only later acquired its musical application, while "postlude" developed in the opposite direction, originating as a musical term before broadening to include other kinds of closings. Both words are also related to "interlude," which can refer, among other things, to a musical composition inserted between the parts of a larger whole.
Examples of postlude in a Sentence
San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2019
The dance now continues and switches gears as sound bites of Ailey and of Mr. Harris present a postlude suggesting them in conversation.
—Robert Greskovic, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2018
Make a very long weekend of your trip to the Berkshires with three Boston Symphony concerts and, as a postlude on Monday, an evening with the young players of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.
—New York Times, 12 July 2018
The 14 songs that made up Wednesday’s program were grouped in three sets, with an introduction and postlude, collectively exploring mortal interaction with the gods, the Orestes myth and the deities themselves.
—John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 7 Sep. 2017
Perhaps the best thing to do with GWTW is to ask anyone who shows the film to put together a prelude or postlude — or maybe a little presentation for the intermission that is usually provided — that interrogates the film’s presentation of history.
—Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, 30 Aug. 2017
The six postlude concerts next season will be played by Peter Richard Conte.
—Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 7 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Postlude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postlude. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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postlude
noun
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