sforzando

[ sfawrt-sahn-doh; Italian sfawr-tsahn-daw ]

/ sfɔrtˈsɑn doʊ; Italian sfɔrˈtsɑn dɔ /

adjective, adverb Music.

with force; emphatically.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also forzando.

Origin of sforzando

1795–1805; < Italian, gerund of sforzare to show strength < Vulgar Latin *exfortiāre; see effort

Words nearby sforzando

sferic, sferics, sfm, sfo, sforza, sforzando, sfr., sfumato, sfw, sfx, sfz

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sforzando

In the second theme, which begins in the 44th measure, note the piquant dissonances coupled with sforzando accents.
Music: An Art and a Language|Walter Raymond Spalding
Every note marked long in pianoforte music is therefore essentially a sforzando followed by a rapid diminuendo.
Twentieth Century Inventions|George Sutherland
So often as a Sforzando occured, he tore his arms which he had previously crossed upon his breast, with great vehemence asunder.
Louis Spohr's Autobiography|Louis Spohr
Again a sforzando chord rang out, again came the jarring response.
An American Girl in Munich|Mabel W. Daniels

At the first sforzando he threw out his arms so wide asunder, that he knocked both the lights off the piano upon the ground.
Louis Spohr's Autobiography|Louis Spohr

British Dictionary definitions for sforzando

sforzando

sforzato (sfɔːˈtsɑːtəʊ)

/ (sfɔːˈtsɑːndəʊ) music /

adjective, adverb

to be played with strong initial attackAbbreviation: sf

noun

a symbol, mark, etc, such as >, written above a note, indicating this

Word Origin for sforzando

C19: from Italian, from sforzare to force, from ex- 1 + forzare, from Vulgar Latin fortiāre (unattested) to force 1

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