epilogue

noun

ep·​i·​logue ˈe-pə-ˌlȯg 

-ˌläg

variants or less commonly epilog

1

: a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work

2

a

: a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the end of a play

also : the actor speaking such an epilogue

b

: the final scene of a play that comments on or summarizes the main action

3

: the concluding section of a musical composition : coda

Did you know?

From its Greek roots, epilogue means basically "words attached (at the end)". An epilogue often somehow wraps up a story's action, as in the one for a famous Shakespeare play that ends, "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo". In nonfiction books, we now often use the term afterword instead of epilogue, just as we now generally use foreword instead of prologue. Movies also often have a kind of epilogue--maybe a scene after the exciting climax when the surviving lovers meet in a café to talk about their future. The epilogue of a musical composition, after all the drama is over, is called the coda (Italian for "tail").

Examples of epilogue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The larger Star Wars story is a generational thing and Omega, in the epilogue, chooses to continue to rebel against the Empire (potentially teasing a follow-up series), yet the original Bad Batch manages to find peace and become more than just soldiers. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2024

But wait a second because … Here comes that epilogue! —Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024

These are not Christmas movies where the epilogue extends another six days; all of these films have at least one crucial scene set on New Year’s Day and place clear, narrative importance on the holiday in one way or another. —James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024

So there’s been a lot of positive writing at the end of what the epilogue could possibly be. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English epiloge, from Middle French epilogue, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epilogos, from epilegein to say in addition, from epi- + legein to say — more at legend

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

epilogue

noun

ep·​i·​logue

variants also epilog

ˈep-ə-ˌlȯg 

-ˌläg

1

: a final section that brings to an end and summarizes or comments on the action or characters of a story

2

: a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the end of a play