Dénouement, n.
Etymology: [F. dénouement, fr. dénouer to untie; pref. dé- (L. dis-) + nouer to tie, fr. L. nodus knot, perh. for gnodus and akin to E. knot.]
1. The unraveling or discovery of a plot; the catastrophe, especially of a drama or a romance.
2. The solution of a mystery; issue; outcome.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for denouement; he lists it under catastrophe.
Where he writes about it:
In literature, the final event of a drama is the catastrophe, or denouement. — from catastrophe