Added 9 October 2026
overture
/ˈəʊvətjʊə/ noun
Latin root: apertūra Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about overture at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio.
-
Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows.
training is a necessary preliminary to employment
-
A tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others.
she rejected his advances
Origin
From Middle English overture, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French overture, from Old French overture, from Latin apertūra. Doublet of aperture.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)