descrescendo

Italian

descrescendo (plural descrescendos or decrescendi)

1. (music) An instruction to play gradually more softly, the opposite of a crescendo.
   • 2007 June 9, Craig R. Whitney, “Amid the Shirts and Socks, a Concert Can Break Out”, in New York Times‎:

     “It’s probably the most difficult piece I’ve ever done,” he said before trying out several movements at a Wednesday evening concert, his fingers slinking from keyboard to keyboard and darting restlessly over the 729 stop-control tablets as phrase seamlessly followed phrase and crescendo climaxed and faded into descrescendo.

• decrescendos