/pas"ij werrk'/ , n. Music.
1. writing that is often extraneous to the thematic material of a work and is typically of a virtuosic or decorative character: passagework consisting of scales, arpeggios, trills, and double octaves.
2. the performance of such writing: The pianist's passagework is brilliantly clear and smooth.
[ 1860-65; PASSAGE 1 + WORK ]