n.
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from qu, abbreviation (used as a direction in actors' copies of plays) of Latin quando when
Date: 1553
1 a : a signal (as a word, phrase, or bit of stage business) to a performer to begin a specific speech or action b : something serving a comparable purpose : HINT
2 : a feature indicating the nature of something perceived
3 archaic : the part one has to perform in or as if in a play
4 archaic : MOOD , HUMOR