coda
KOH-duh · noun
Origin
Coda comes from Italian coda, meaning "tail," which traces back to Latin cauda.
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Journey
The word entered English through Italian musical terminology, keeping its literal sense of "tail" to describe the closing passage that trails after a piece's main structure.
Related words
Coda is a doublet of queue and cola — all three descend from the same Latin root, cauda, having reached English by different routes.
More words
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