/kəˈdenzə; NAmE / noun
1.
( music ) a short passage, usually near the end of a piece of classical music, which is played or sung by the soloist alone, and intended to show the performer's skill
2.
( SAfrE ) if sb has a cadenza , they react suddenly and angrily to sth, especially in a way that seems unreasonable or humorous
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent.: from Italian , based on Latin cadere to fall.