mordent
or mor·dant
a melodic embellishment consisting of a rapid alternation of a principal tone with the tone a half or a whole step below it, called single or short when the auxiliary tone occurs once and double or long when this occurs twice or more.
Origin of mordent
1Words Nearby mordent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mordent in a sentence
And he tightened his arms round her, happy once more for a mordent in this environment of a perfect love.
Robert Elsmere | Mrs. Humphry WardWhen executing the mordent, is not the use of three fingers preferable to two?
Piano Playing | Josef HofmannThe last note of the mordent should be accented in this case.
Piano Playing | Josef HofmannRunning over the leaves he came to the illustrations of the mordent.
How to Appreciate Music | Gustav KobbCanes timidi vehementius latrant quam mordent—Cowardly dogs bark more violently than they bite.
British Dictionary definitions for mordent
/ (ˈmɔːdənt) /
music a melodic ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of a note with a note one degree lower than it: Also called: lower mordent
Origin of mordent
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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