tremulant means trembling, tremulous. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
tremulant is pronounced /ˈtɹɛmjʊlənt/.
Why “tremulant” is a great word
TREMULANT — [Adjective, Noun] Characterized by trembling or quivering; specifically, a device in a pipe organ that produces a vibrato effect by modulating its wind supply. From Medieval Latin tremulāns ("trembling, shaking"), present participle of tremulāre, ultimately from Latin tremēre ("to tremble, shake"). The reborrowed form is attested from 1837. Unlike "tremulous," which describes a quavering voice or nervous hand, or "tremolo," which is the audible effect of rapid pitch oscillation, *tremulant* is the latent cause—the hidden machinery of vibration. It is the shimmer of aspen leaves in a still afternoon, the palpable hum in the floorboards before a train passes, and, inside the organ’s dark chamber, the slow lever that introduces an intentional imperfection into the stately air—a masterful artifice that mimics the tremor of life within the immutable.
adj
- Trembling, tremulous.“The night air wrapped them warmly, and the balm of the little breezes that stirred the foliage around them was the smell of damask roses from the garden. . . . She stood by the bench, one hand resting on it; she stood all in the tremulant shadow.”
noun
- A mechanical component of a musical organ, designed to add vibration to the sounds produced by the instrument.“The tremulant is a small apparatus that gives to the tone of any department of an organ to which it may be applied a waving or undulating effect.”