Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A brief entertainment between two acts of a play; an entr'acte.
  • noun A short movement separating the major sections of a lengthy composition or work.
  • noun An independent instrumental composition having the character of such a movement.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A light and pleasing dramatic entertainment introduced between the acts of a tragedy, comedy, or grand opera; later, a ballet divertissement introduced in like manner.
  • noun In music: A short musical work of light character inserted between the acts of a serious drama or opera; a burlesque or comedy. The intermezzo was the germ of the opera bouffe or comic opera.
  • noun A short composition, without any definite musical form, introduced in an extended musical work, or a piece composed in a similar style.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Mus.) An interlude; an intermede. See intermede.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A short piece of music or act in the interval of the main spectacle; a theatrical interlude.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a short movement coming between the major sections of a symphony
  • noun a brief show (music or dance etc) inserted between the sections of a longer performance
  • noun a short piece of instrumental music composed for performance between acts of a drama or opera

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian, from Latin intermedius, intermediate; see intermediate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Italian intermezzo.

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