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.

Words nearby tremolo

tremendous, tremie, tremissis, tremolant, tremolite, tremolo, tremolo arm, tremor, tremulant, tremulous, trenail

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