overture – English noun declension

English noun forms of overture

Noun: overture
Singularoverture
Pluralovertures

Sample Sentences

  • c. 1612', George Chapman, A Hymne to Hermes
  • the cave's inmost overture
  • 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, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vii]:]
  • overture of friendship
  • Shortly afterwards the North Eastern Railway made overtures for the purchase of the Blyth & Tyne system, and the directors of the latter were then disposed to sell, but, in view of their excellent dividend record, stood out for a good price. [1943 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Blyth & Tyne Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 138:]
  • Sarkozy gave a defiant speech, going on the offensive and betraying no hint of having been beaten. He styled the result as a "crisis" vote, by a French population which was "suffering". In a clear overture to Le Pen's voters, and the extreme-right motto of loving France, he said: "I call on all French people who put love of their country above partisan considerations, to unite and join me." [2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in the Guardian:]
  • My mother had no choice; one did not turn down such an overture from the regent. [1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 20:]
  • 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:]
  • 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:]

Etymology

From Middle English overture, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French overture, from Old French overture, from Latin apertūra. Doublet of aperture. See: Middle English Nouns 'overture', Latin Nouns 'apertūra'.