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.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Are you learning new vocabulary? Or do you just have an interest in words? Either way, this quiz is for you.
Question 1 of 10
orchard
body of land completely surrounded by water
group of cultivated fruit trees
long mournful cry
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tremolo

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

Words nearby tremolo

tremendous, tremie, tremissis, tremolant, tremolite, tremolo, tremolo arm, tremor, tremulant, tremulous, trenail
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tremolo

British Dictionary definitions for tremolo

tremolo
/ (ˈtrɛməˌləʊ) /

noun plural -los music

  1. (in playing the violin, cello, etc) the rapid repetition of a single note produced by a quick back-and-forth movement of the bow
  2. 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