de·noue·ment

[dey-noo-mahn]
noun
1.
the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
2.
the place in the plot at which this occurs.
3.
the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.
Also, dé·noue·ment.

Origin:
1745–55; < French: literally, an untying, equivalent to dénouer to untie, Old French desnoer (des- de- + noer to knot < Latin nōdāre, derivative of nōdus knot) + -ment -ment

Synonyms
3. solution, conclusion, end, upshot.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
denouement or French dénouement (deɪˈnuːmɒn, denumɑ̃) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a.  the final clarification or resolution of a plot in a play or other work
 b.  the point at which this occurs
2.  final outcome; solution
 
[C18: from French, literally: an untying, from dénouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des-de- + noer to tie, knot, from Latin nōdāre, from nōdus a knot; see node]
 
dénouement or French dénouement
 
—n
 
[C18: from French, literally: an untying, from dénouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des-de- + noer to tie, knot, from Latin nōdāre, from nōdus a knot; see node]

denouement or French dénouement (deɪˈnuːmɒn, denumɑ̃) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a.  the final clarification or resolution of a plot in a play or other work
 b.  the point at which this occurs
2.  final outcome; solution
 
[C18: from French, literally: an untying, from dénouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des-de- + noer to tie, knot, from Latin nōdāre, from nōdus a knot; see node]
 
dénouement or French dénouement
 
—n
 
[C18: from French, literally: an untying, from dénouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des-de- + noer to tie, knot, from Latin nōdāre, from nōdus a knot; see node]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

denouement
1752, from Fr. dénouement "an untying" (of plot), from dénouer "untie," from O.Fr. desnouer, from des- "un-, out" (from L. dis-) + nouer "to tie, knot" (from L. nodus "a knot").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
dénouement [(day-nooh-mahnn)]

The solution or outcome of the plot of a play or novel: “In the dénouement of many tragedies, the main character dies.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

denouement

in literature, the final action that completes the unraveling of the plot in a play, especially in a tragedy. Catastrophe is a synonym of denouement. The term is sometimes applied to a similar action in a novel or story.

Learn more about denouement with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
There are a few ups and downs before the inevitable denouement.
Denouement of a deep-cover story and a soberer view of staff agent
  potentialities.
The tension as these scenes build up is occasionally interesting, but the
  weakness of the denouement means they never pay off.
But it's not the denouement that keeps us transfixed.
Related Words
catastrophe
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