Episode: A Word Borrowed From Greek Theatre
An episode is one part of a longer series. In Greek drama it was the section between two songs of the chorus, which is exactly what it still is.
An episode is one instalment of something continuing: a television series, a podcast, a life. In Athenian tragedy the *epeisodion* was the acted part between two choral songs — the story between the singing. Television inherited the shape without knowing it.
- One instalment of a series. *The final episode aired last night.*
- A distinct event in a longer story. *A strange episode in his career.*
- A period of illness or symptoms. *An asthma episode.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | episode | A short episode. |
| Plural | episodes | Ten episodes. |
| Adjective | episodic | An episodic story. |
| Related | instalment | The next instalment. |
| Related | season / series | A new season. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The whole episode was embarrassing for everyone.Any self-contained event.
- She had a depressive episode in her twenties.The clinical sense: a bounded period.
- The novel is episodic rather than plotted.Episodic means built of loosely linked parts.
Series, season and episode
- Episode — one instalment
- Season — a year's run of episodes (American usage)
- Series — the whole show in Britain, one season in America
- Pilot — the first episode, made to sell the show
- Finale — the last episode of a run
From Greek *epeisodion*, an addition, from *epi* (upon) and *eisodos* (entrance). The word came into English through French in the eighteenth century, first as a literary term.
Series or season?
In British English, series means one year's run: series two. In American English that is a season, and series means the whole programme.
What does episodic mean?
Made of separate incidents rather than one connected plot. It is a description, not a criticism, though it is often used as one.