Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A brief entertainment between two acts of a play; an entr'acte.
- n. Music A short movement separating the major sections of a lengthy composition or work.
- n. Music An independent instrumental composition having the character of such a movement.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. 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.
- n. 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.
- n. A short composition, without any definite musical form, introduced in an extended musical work, or a piece composed in a similar style.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An interlude; an intermede. See intermede.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a short movement coming between the major sections of a symphony
- n. a brief show (music or dance etc) inserted between the sections of a longer performance
- n. a short piece of instrumental music composed for performance between acts of a drama or opera
Examples
“To make this even more tedious, on page 397 (twenty-one pages after Rothko first walked into the ship's bar) there is a kind of intermezzo between these two redundant descriptions of that first night out, in which we are told: "In May of 1959 Mark and Mell Rothko were preparing to leave New York for their second trip to Europe.”
“The album "Black Tears" was a kind of intermezzo featuring familiar songs next to a few previously unreleased songs.”
“Mango sorbet was the intermezzo; a heart shaped chocolate garnish adding a second Valentines note to the meal.”
The Huffington Post: Karen Dalton-Beninato: For Valentine's Romance, New Orleans Bistro Delivers
“Elsewhere there were wonderful moments of limpidity – as the first movement reaches its development, and in the intermezzo above all.”
“Mr. van Houten worked 20 years for Philips before returning to the Dutch company in October 2010 after a four-year intermezzo serving as CEO of NXP Semiconductors—which Philips spun off in 2006—and an independent consultant for Dutch bank and insurer ING.”
The Wall Street Journal: Quick Action Is Essence of New Philips CEO's Strategy
“Now head chef at Cornell's Phi Kappa Psi house, he recently prepared an ornate meal for parents' weekend: salmon baked with chipotle remoulade, an intermezzo of blood orange sorbet, duck roasted with tart cherry sauce on pecan rice and three chocolate mousses.”
The Wall Street Journal: Dude, Those Candied Walnuts Go Great at a Kegger
“INSIDER TIP: Po recently launched an intermezzo meaning between lunch and dinner menu, so food is available all day long, and all items are $12 and under.”
“Here's part one of that, and here's an intriguing intermezzo.”
“This little intermezzo would probably have been avoided if we had not been without our ski, but the slope was so steep and smooth that we could not use them.”
“I know that part of his warm up routine - he loved to play, believe it or not, the intermezzo from Mascagni's opera �Cavelleria Rusticana.”
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