one part of a television show, radio programme, podcast, or other serial that is broadcast or released separately
Everyone is talking about the shocking twist in the latest episode of the crime series.
The podcast releases a new episode every Monday morning during commuters’ rush hour.
✦ from Greek ‘epeisodion’ meaning ‘addition, incidental piece’, originally referring to spoken sections between choral songs in Greek drama
a separate event or short period in a larger story or in someone’s life, often unusual or important
The embarrassing episode at the restaurant taught him to be more careful with his words.
Her childhood was generally happy except for one tragic episode when the family lost their home.
✦ same origin as Sense 1; extension of meaning from part of a drama to part of real life in 18th-century English
a single occurrence of a medical condition, such as a seizure, asthma attack, or bout of depression
The patient experienced an episode of severe chest pain during the night.
Stress can trigger an episode of migraine in some people.
✦ medical use arose in late 19th century, applying the dramatic term to distinct periods of illness
in music, a passage between statements of the main theme, especially in a fugue or rondo
The composer lengthened each episode to create greater contrast with the theme.
In Bach’s fugues, an episode often modulates through several keys.
✦ borrowed into musical theory in the 18th century to describe sections that ‘fill in’ between statements of the main theme, echoing the dramatic sense of interposed material
