Word of the Day

: June 1, 2008

postlude

noun POHST-lood

What It Means

1 : a closing piece of music; especially : an organ voluntary at the end of a church service

2 : a closing phase (as of an epoch or a literary work)

postlude in Context

As the organist played the postlude, the worshipers began to file out of the church.

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.