I. ˈkād ə n(t)s noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Italian cadenza, from cadere to fall (from Latin) + enza -ence; in senses other than 1, probably mostly from Middle French or French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza — more at chance
1.
a. : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language ; specifically : a particular rhythmic sequence distinctive of an individual author or literary composition
the grand cadence of his poetry
b. : the beat, time, measure, or sequence of any rhythmical motion or activity (as marching, dancing, rowing)
c. : a sequence of motions, colors, or events
the cadence of glittering ripple and moving leaf — Richard Jefferies
slower cadence of life — Irish Digest
2.
a. : a falling inflection of the voice in reading or speaking (as at the end of a sentence)
b. : a concluding and usually falling strain ; specifically : a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest and giving a sense of partial or total harmonic completion
3.
a. : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of any sound, especially the sounds of nature (as of waves or wind)
b. : the general or a characteristic rhythmic modulation of the voice
the cadence of the countryman's speech
4. : the characteristic unit of the harmonic structure of tonal music consisting of a musical progression from harmonic stability to suspension and back to stability
5.
a. : the rising or falling order of strong, long, or stressed syllables and weak, short, or unstressed syllables
rising cadence
iambic cadence
— compare arsis , ionic , meter
b. : an unmetrical or irregular arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in prose or free verse based on natural stress groups
Synonyms: see rhythm
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to put into cadence or rhythm