ouverture

Noun

overture (plural overtures)

1. (obsolete) An opening; a recess or chamber.
   • c. 1612', George Chapman, A Hymne to Hermes
     the cave's inmost overture
2. (obsolete) Disclosure; discovery; revelation.
   • It was he
     That made the overture of thy treasons to us.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
3. (often, plural) An approach or proposal made to initiate communication, establish a relationship etc.
   • overture of friendship
4. (Scotland) A motion placed before a legislative body, such as the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
5. A musical introduction to a longer piece of music or a dramatic work (such as a play, an opera, or a motion picture).
   • The overture was almost at a close; and silence being now more effective than any thing that he could urge in favour of the play, Courtenaye went behind the scenes:...1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A First Night”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 66
6. A medley of themes from a larger work, such as an opera or musical, typically played at the beginning but sometimes played at any part of the work or performed as a standalone piece.
   • The paradoxical use of an overture at the end of a concert occasionally gave rise to satire in the musical press.2017 April 27, Steven Vande Moortele, The Romantic Overture and Musical Form from Rossini to Wagner, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 24

See all 8 meanings of overture