1. 1. An incident or event that is part of a progression or a larger sequence: "South Africa may remain one of history's most tragic episodes" (Bayard Rustin).
   2. One of a series of related events in the course of a continuous account. See synonyms at occurrence.
2. A portion of a narrative that relates an event or a series of connected events and forms a coherent story in itself; an incident: an episode in a picaresque novel.
3. 1. A separate part of a serialized work, such as a novel or play.
   2. A separate program that is part of a television or radio series.
4. A section of a classic Greek tragedy that occurs between two choric songs.
5. Music. A passage between statements of a main subject or theme, as in a rondo or fugue.

[French épisode, from Greek epeisodion, parenthetic narrative, from neuter of epeisodios, coming in besides : epi-, epi- + eisodios, entering (eis, into + hodos, way, journey).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.