decrescendo
/ˌdiːkɹɪˈʃɛndəʊ/
decrescendo means becoming quieter gradually. It carries an Arena rating of 1651, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, decrescendo ranks #1,401 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,933 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,749 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,030 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
decrescendo is pronounced /ˌdiːkɹɪˈʃɛndəʊ/.
Why “decrescendo” is a great word
A gradual decrease in loudness, the instruction to perform such a decrease, or the act of diminishing in volume. From the Italian decrescendo, the present participle of decrescere ("to decrease"), from the Latin dēcrēscere ("to grow less, diminish"), from dē- ("down, away from") + crēscere ("to grow"). First attested in English in the early 19th century (1800–10). Unlike "crescendo," its direct and vigorous opposite, or "diminuendo," which can sometimes suggest a more immediate fade, "decrescendo" is the art of controlled recession. It is the last, sighing breath of a woodwind phrase, the retreat of a string section into a whispered silence, and the softening of thunder into a distant rumble over the hills—not merely a reduction of sound, but the slow, graceful acceptance of its inevitable absence.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian decrescendo.
adj
- becoming quieter gradually.
noun
- An instruction to play gradually more softly.
- A gradual decrease in volume or loudness of a piece of music.
verb
- To gradually become quieter
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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