Exit Was a Stage Direction Before It Was a Door
An exit is a way out. The word entered English from the margins of printed plays.
An exit is a way out, or the act of leaving. It came into English as a Latin stage direction meaning *he or she goes out*, printed beside a character's last line; *exeunt* is the plural, used when several leave together. Shakespeare's most famous example is a direction, not a line: *exit, pursued by a bear*. The architectural sense of a marked way out of a building is much later and follows naturally from the theatrical one.
- A way out. *The fire exit.*
- To leave. *He exited quietly.*
- A stage direction. *Exit stage left.*
- Exeunt — the plural direction. *Exeunt.*
- Latin — *exit*, he goes out. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | exit | An exit. |
| Plural | exits | Exits. |
| Verb | exit | Exiting. |
| Plural direction | exeunt | Exeunt. |
| Latin | exire | To go out. |
- Take the second exit.Road.
- Exit, pursued by a bear.Theatre.
- Exeunt is the plural.Latin.
Latin stage directions in English
- Exit — he or she goes out
- Exeunt — they go out
- Manet — he or she remains
- Alarum — a call to arms offstage
- Only exit became an everyday English word
Latin *exit*, he or she goes out, from *exire*, from *ex*, out, and *ire*, to go.
Why is exit a stage direction?
It is Latin for he or she goes out, printed in the margins of plays beside a character's departure.
What does exeunt mean?
They go out. It is the plural form of the same direction, used when several characters leave together.