Denouement
/ˌdeɪ.nuːˈmɑːn/noun
The final resolution of a plot or a complicated sequence of events.
Did you know?The word treats a story like a physical knot: its ending is the moment tangled events are symbolically untied and resolved.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ned-
“To bind or tie”
Classical Latin
Latin
nodus
“A knot, fastening, or complication”
Late Latin
Latin
disnodare
“To untie or loosen a knot”
12th Century
Old French
desnouer
“To untie; to unravel or resolve”
15th Century
French
dénouement
“An untying or resolution”
18th Century
English
denouement
“The final resolution of a literary plot”