Aftershow

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A gathering held after a performance where attendees socialize and discuss the event
2. An event that takes place post-performance for the purpose of mingling and celebrating among guests
3. An event occurring once a show has ended, where performers and audience members socialize and reflect on the experience

Etymology: "Aftershow" is a plain compound: "after-" attached to "show," with "show" in its theatrical sense of a performance. The combination produces a word for whatever happens once the performance is over. The first element, "after," is an old English word meaning later in time, so the compound is transparent: it names the gathering that follows the performance itself. The word's history is a matter of ordinary English word formation rather than a story of coinage or shifting meaning. Its parts were already in everyday use, and the compound simply joins them to describe a specific social occasion. Its current sense, a gathering where attendees socialize and talk over the event, follows directly from that literal meaning.

Synonyms: post-show, aftermath