mordent

or mor·dant

[ mawr-dnt ]

nounMusic.
  1. 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

1
1800–10; <German <Italian mordente biting <Latin mordent-, stem of mordēns, present participle of mordēre to bite; see -ent

Words Nearby mordent

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How to use mordent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mordent

mordent

/ (ˈmɔːdənt) /


noun
  1. 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

1
C19: from German, from Italian mordente, from mordere to bite

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