[cue] n [ME cu half a farthing (spelled form of q, abbr. for L quadrans quarter of an as)] (ca. 1755): the letter q
[2]cue n [prob. fr. qu, abbr. (used as a direction in actors' copies of plays) of L quando when] (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 [3]cue vt cued ; cu.ing or cue.ing (1922) 1: to give a cue to: prompt
2: to insert into a continuous performance "~ in sound effects" [4]cue n [F queue, lit., tail, fr. L cauda] (ca. 1749) 1 a: a leather-tipped tapering rod for striking the cue ball (as in billiards and pool) b: a long-handled instrument with a concave head for shoving disks in shuffleboard
2: queue
2. [5]cue vb cued ; cu.ing or cue.ing vt (ca. 1784) 1: queue
2: to strike with a cue ~ vi 1: queue
2: to use a cue