MORDENT


Meaning of MORDENT in English

/mawr"dnt/ , n. Music.

1. a melodic embellishment consisting of a rapid alternation of a principal tone with the tone a half or a whole step below it, called single or short when the auxiliary tone occurs once and double or long when this occurs twice or more.

2. See inverted mordent .

Also, mordant .

[ 1800-10; mordente biting mordent-, s. of mordens, prp. of mordere to bite; see -ENT ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .