ˈpə]ˌsōd sometimes -pē] or -pi] or ]ˌzōd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Greek epeisodion, from neuter of epeisodios coming in besides, from epi- + eisodios coming in, going in, from eis in + -odios (from hodos road, way, journey); akin to Greek en in — more at in , cede
1. : a usually brief unit of action in a dramatic or literary work: as
a. : the part of an ancient Greek tragedy between two choric songs and equivalent to any developed situation in a modern play
b. : a developed situation that is integral to but separable from a continuous narrative (as a novel or play) : incident
that childhood visit … to “dog town” is a perfect little episode — M.G.Geismar
: scene
c. : one of a series of loosely connected stories or scenes
his novels … tend to resolve themselves into a series of episodes resembling beads on a string — Malcolm Cowley
d. : the part of a radio, television, or motion-picture serial presented at one performance
a TV film series of 30 episodes
2. : an occurrence or connected series of occurrences and developments which may be viewed as distinctive and apart although part of a larger or more comprehensive series
considers her war work an episode , not equal in quality to her lifework — Christina Baker
as
a. : a distinctive and significant event or series of events in the geological history of a region or feature
fourth glacial episode of the Quaternary period
volcanic episode
two high-water episodes
b. : an occurrence of a usually recurrent pathological abnormal condition
a febrile episode
a coronary episode
3. : a digressive subdivision in a musical composition that is either derived from the chief thematic material (as in a fugue) or is completely new material (as in a rondo)
Synonyms: see occurrence