exeunt
Definition
- Verb (third-person plural present, used as a stage direction):
- To leave the stage: "exeunt" is a stage direction in plays indicating that two or more actors exit the stage simultaneously. It is the plural form of "exit" (used for a single actor). The word is derived from Latin, meaning "they go out."
Usage Examples
- (Both characters leave the stage while engaged in combat.)
- (All actors exit, leaving only the king on stage.)
- (a common Latin phrase meaning "everyone exits").
Advanced Usage
"Exeunt omnes": This is a fixed phrase used in drama to indicate that all characters leave the stage.
- At the end of the play, the curtain falls as exeunt omnes is performed. (All actors exit together.)
"Exeunt severally": A more specific direction meaning that characters exit individually rather than together.
- Exeunt severally, each lost in thought. (Each character leaves the stage alone, not as a group.)
Variants and Related Words
Exit (verb, singular): used for a single actor leaving the stage.
- Exit Hamlet, pursued by a bear. (One actor leaves the stage.)
Exeunt is the plural form of "exit" in stage directions; no other common variants exist.
Synonyms
- Depart: to leave a place (general, not stage-specific).
- Leave the stage: the literal meaning in theatre.
- Go out: informal equivalent.
Phrasal Verbs
- None directly related, as "exeunt" is a fixed Latin term used only in stage directions.
Related Idioms
- "Exit, stage left": a humorous way to say someone is leaving (from theatre; "exit" is used for one person, "exeunt" for many).
- "Exeunt omnes": sometimes used figuratively to mean everyone leaves or departs.
Additional Notes
- Etymology: Latin "exeunt" is the third-person plural present active indicative of "exeō" (to go out). It is not used in everyday English outside of theatrical contexts or literary references.
- Usage: Always appears in present tense, often in italics in scripts, and is never conjugated (e.g., "they exeunted" is incorrect).