denouement

denouement
\ \ [18] A denouement is literally an ‘untying of a knot’. It was borrowed from French (its first recorded use in English is by Lord Chesterfield in one of his famous letters to his son (1752)), where it was a derivative of dénouerundo’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix - ‘un-’ and nouertie’, which came ultimately from Latin nōdusknot’ (source of English newel, node, nodule, and noose).
\ \ Cf.NEWEL, NODE, NODULE, NOOSE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • dénouement — [ denumɑ̃ ] n. m. VAR. dénoûment • 1580 desnouement de la langue; de dénouer 1 ♦ (1636) Ce qui termine, dénoue une intrigue, une action théâtrale (cf. Le nœud de l action). ⇒ achèvement, conclusion, épilogue, 1. fin, solution, terme. Dénouement… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Denouement — Dénouement Théâtre Par catégories Personnalités …   Wikipédia en Français

  • denouement — Denouement. s. m. v. Se dit de ce qui demesle, de ce qui developpe le noeud d une piece de Theatre. Le denouëment de cette piece est heureux, est naturel. le denouëment de cette piece ne vaut rien. Il se dit aussi figurement, En parlant d affaire …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • denouement — I noun apodosis, climax, close, closing, closure, completion, conclusion, consummation, denouement, determination, development, disclosure, disentanglement, dissolution, end, ending, epilogue, eventuation, fait accompli, final happening, final… …   Law dictionary

  • dénouement — I index cessation (termination) II index denouement Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • denouement — 1752, from Fr. dénouement an untying (of plot), from dénouer untie (O.Fr. desnouer) from des un , out (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + nouer to tie, knot, from L. nodus a knot, from PIE *ned to bind, tie (see …   Etymology dictionary

  • denouement —    , dénouement    (day noo MANH) [French: an untying or unraveling] In a novel or drama, the final untangling of a complicated plot, or the moment in the story at which such a resolution takes place. More generally, the outcome of a perplexing… …   Dictionary of foreign words and phrases

  • denouement — or dénouement [dā΄no͞o män′] n. [Fr < dénouer, to untie < dé (L dis ), from, out + nouer, to tie < L nodare, to knot < nodus, a knot: see NODE] 1. the outcome, solution, unraveling, or clarification of a plot in a drama, story, etc. 2 …   English World dictionary

  • Dénouement — (franz., spr. numāng), Entwickelung, Lösung eines Knotens, namentlich im Drama …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Dénouement — (frz., spr. numáng), Entwicklung, Lösung eines Knotens (bes. im Drama) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • denouement — meaning ‘the final unravelling of a plot in a story, etc.’, is usually printed in roman type without an accent …   Modern English usage

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