Added 9 October 2026
crescendo
/kɹɪˈʃɛn.dəʊ/ noun
In Latin: crēscēns Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crescendo at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin.
-
A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax.
Their fighting rose in a fearsome crescendo.
-
The climax of a gradual increase.
Their arguing rose to a fearsome crescendo.
verb
adverb
- Gradually increasing in force or loudness.
Origin
Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)