tremolo

[ trem-uh-loh ]

/ ˈtrɛm əˌloʊ /

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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.

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Origin of tremolo

1715–25; <Italian: trembling <Latin tremulustremulous

Words nearby tremolo

tremendously, trémie, tremissis, tremolant, tremolite, tremolo, tremolo arm, tremor, tremulant, tremulous, trenail

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

How to use tremolo in a sentence

A pulse throbbed in her throat and made her voice sound all tremolo like a beginner's in singing.
Molly Brown's Sophomore Days|Nell Speed
Attempting to correct a tremolo by "holding the throat steady" causes the throat to tremble all the more.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor
A simple experiment illustrates the nature of the muscular action from which the tremolo results.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor
A distinct fault of production, the tremolo, is directly due to throat stiffness.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor

It is highly probable that the tremolo is caused by a trembling of the vocal organs, due to muscular stiffness.
The Psychology of Singing|David C. Taylor

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