segue

Borrowed from Italian segue (“it follows”) [1], from seguire (“to follow”), from Latin sequor; originally a term used in a musical score to indicate that the next movement or passage is to follow without a break. Cognate with Spanish seguir. Doublet of sue. Related to suit.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɡweɪ/

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• Audio (AU)

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• Homophone: Segway

segue (third-person singular simple present segues, present participle segueing, simple past and past participle segued)

1. To move smoothly from one state or subject to another.

   Synonym: transition

   I can tell she’s going to segue from our conversation about school to the topic of marriage.

2. (music) To make a smooth transition from one theme to another.

   Beethoven’s symphonies effortlessly segue from one theme to the next.

3. (of a disk jockey) To play a sequence of records with no talk between them.

In sense “move from one subject to another”, contrast with non sequitur (“abrupt transition”), which is etymologically opposite (“follow” vs. “does not follow”). However, segue has connotations of moving between distinct subjects, and thus to segue often means to change rather abruptly, with at best a pretense of smooth transition.

segue (plural segues)

1. An instance of segueing, a transition.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɡwe/

segue

1. third-person singular present indicative of seguire

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛ.ɣɨ/, /ˈsɛ.ɡɨ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛ.ɡi/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛ.ɡe/

segue

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of seguir
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of seguir
3. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of segar
4. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of segar
5. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of segar
6. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of segar