crescendo

• cres.
• cresc.

Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”)

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kɹɪˈʃɛn.dəʊ/, /kɹəˈʃɛn.dəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kɹɪˈʃɛn.doʊ/, /kɹəˈʃɛn.doʊ/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: cres‧cen‧do

Crescendo notation.

crescendo (plural crescendos or crescendi or crescendoes)

1. (music) An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin.
2. (figuratively) A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax.

   Their fighting rose in a fearsome crescendo.

3. (figuratively, nonstandard) The climax of a gradual increase.

   Their arguing rose to a fearsome crescendo.

   • 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport‎:

     With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances.

• The musical sense indicates that the figurative sense is an increase rather than the climax of the increase. The use of this word to mean the climax of an increase is nonstandard but commonplace.

• (music): decrescendo, diminuendo
• (the climax of a gradual increase): climax, conclusion

crescendo (third-person singular simple present crescendoes, present participle crescendoing, simple past and past participle crescendoed)

1. To increase in intensity; to reach or head for a crescendo.

   The band crescendoed and then suddenly went silent.

crescendo (not comparable)

1. (music) Gradually increasing in force or loudness.

• conceders

crescendo n

1. (music) crescendo

crescendo

1. crescendo (instruction to play gradually more loudly)
2. (rare) crescendo (gradual increase, especially to a dramatic climax)

From Latin crēscendum (“increasing, growing”), gerund of crēscō

crescendo

1. (gerund of crescere) growing, increasing

crescendo m (plural crescendi)

1. (music) crescendo
2. (figuratively) crescendo

• English: crescendo
• Spanish: crescendo

crēscendō

1. dative masculine singular of crēscendus
2. dative neuter singular of crēscendus
3. ablative masculine singular of crēscendus
4. ablative neuter singular of crēscendus

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɾɨʃ.ˈsẽ.du/

crescendo m (plural crescendos)

1. (music) crescendo (music to be play gradually more loudly)

crescendo

1. gerund of crescer

crescendo m (plural crescendos)

1. crescendo

crescendo n

1. (music) crescendo