mordent

or mor·dant

[ mawr-dnt ]

/ ˈmɔr dnt /

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noun Music.

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.

inverted mordent.

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Origin of mordent

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

Words nearby mordent

mordacious, mordancy, mordant, mordant rouge, Mordecai, mordent, mordida, Mordovian Autonomous Republic, Mordred, Mordvin, Mordvinian Republic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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 Ward
When executing the mordent, is not the use of three fingers preferable to two?
Piano Playing|Josef Hofmann
The last note of the mordent should be accented in this case.
Piano Playing|Josef Hofmann
Running over the leaves he came to the illustrations of the mordent.
How to Appreciate Music|Gustav Kobb

Canes timidi vehementius latrant quam mordent—Cowardly dogs bark more violently than they bite.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood

British Dictionary definitions for mordent

mordent

/ (ˈmɔːdənt) /

noun

music a melodic ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of a note with a note one degree lower than itAlso called: lower mordent

Word Origin for mordent

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012