denouement
- The final resolution or outcome of a plot, conflict, or complex sequence of events.
- More broadly, the concluding part of any situation in which matters are settled.
In a sentence
- The novel's denouement revealed that the seemingly villainous lawyer had actually been protecting the family's secret all along.
- After months of negotiations, the denouement of the diplomatic crisis came swiftly and unexpectedly.
Usage note. Meaning is the subtlest challenge: a denouement is specifically the 'untying' after the climax, not the climax itself. Spelling-wise, the accent on 'é' is often dropped in English usage, and the nasal French '-ment' ending is typically anglicized to '-mah(n)'.
Where it comes from
English denouement — “plot's final resolution” · entered English 18th c.
From French 'dénouement', derived from 'dénouer' meaning 'to untie', which comes from 'de-' (un-) and 'nouer' (to tie), from Latin 'nodare' (to knot), related to 'nodus' (knot). The word entered English in the 18th century as a literary term, reflecting the Aristotelian idea that a plot's conclusion 'unties' the knot of complications (source: Oxford, Etymonline).