tremolo

[ trem-uh-loh ]

/ ˈtrɛm əˌloʊ /

noun, plural trem·o·los. Music.

a tremulous or vibrating effect produced on certain instruments and in the human voice, as to express emotion.

a mechanical device in an organ by which such an effect is produced.

Nearby words

tremie, tremissis, tremolant, tremolite, tremolitic, tremolo, tremolo arm, tremor, tremulant, tremulous, tremulously

Origin of tremolo

1715–25; < Italian: trembling < Latin tremulus tremulous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tremolo

I heard, however, that she had never returned to the tremolo after I had once placed her voice in the right path.
Sixty Years of California Song|Margaret Blake-Alverson
It may have been in sympathetic response to the tremolo of feeling in his voice.
Doctor Luke of the Labrador|Norman Duncan
Holy's pony contributed to the tremolo effect by its short, nervous trot.
The Long Dim Trail|Forrestine C. Hooker
I have since learned that the greatest violinists do not overemphasise the tremolo.
The Belovd Vagabond|William J. Locke

The flush left his cheeks and the tremolo in his voice was replaced by a firm and even tone.
Don Hale with the Flying Squadron|W. Crispin Sheppard

British Dictionary definitions for tremolo

tremolo

/ (ˈtrɛməˌləʊ) /

noun plural -los music

(in playing the violin, cello, etc) the rapid repetition of a single note produced by a quick back-and-forth movement of the bow
the rapid reiteration of two notes usually a third or greater interval apart (fingered tremolo)Compare trill 1 (def. 1)

(in singing) a fluctuation in pitchCompare vibrato

a vocal ornament of late renaissance music consisting of the increasingly rapid reiteration of a single note

another word for tremulant

Word Origin for tremolo

C19: from Italian: quavering, from Medieval Latin tremulāre to tremble

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

Word Origin and History for tremolo

tremolo

1801, from Italian tremolo, from Latin tremulus "trembling" (see tremulous).