cadence

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ca=dence

CIDE DICTIONARY

cadence, n. [OE. cadence, cadens, LL. cadentia a falling, fr. L. cadere to fall; cf. F. cadence, It. cadenza. See Chance.].

•  The act or state of declining or sinking.  [1913 Webster]

  "Now was the sun in western cadence low."  [1913 Webster]
•  A fall of the voice in reading or speaking, especially at the end of a sentence.  [1913 Webster]
•  A rhythmical modulation of the voice or of any sound; as, music of bells in cadence sweet.  [1913 Webster]

  "Blustering winds, which all night long
  Had roused the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull
  Seafaring men o'erwatched."  [1913 Webster]

  "The accents . . . were in passion's tenderest cadence."  [1913 Webster]
•  Rhythmical flow of language, in prose or verse.  [1913 Webster]

  "Golden cadence of poesy."  [1913 Webster]

  "If in any composition much attention was paid to the flow of the rhythm, it was said (at least in the 14th and 15th centuries) to be “prosed in faire cadence.”"  [1913 Webster]
•  See Cadency.  [1913 Webster]
•  Harmony and proportion in motions, as of a well-managed horse.  [1913 Webster]
•  A uniform time and place in marching.  [1913 Webster]
•  The close or fall of a strain; the point of rest, commonly reached by the immediate succession of the tonic to the dominant chord.  [1913 Webster]

Imperfect cadence. (Mus.) See under Imperfect.

cadence, v. t. 

 To regulate by musical measure.  [1913 Webster]
"These parting numbers, cadenced by my grief."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cadence, n.
1 a fall in pitch of the voice, esp. at the end of a phrase or sentence.
2 intonation, tonal inflection.
3 Mus. the close of a musical phrase.
4 rhythm; the measure or beat of sound or movement.

Derivative

cadenced adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. It. cadenza, ult. f. L cadere fall

THESAURUS

cadence

Alexandrine, accent, accentuation, acciaccatura, amphibrach, amphimacer, anacrusis, anapest, antispast, appoggiatura, arabesque, arsis, authentic cadence, bacchius, bass passage, beat, bourdon, bridge, burden, cadency, cadenza, caesura, catalexis, catenary, chloriamb, chloriambus, chorus, coda, colon, coloratura, counterpoint, cretic, dactyl, dactylic hexameter, decline, decurrence, development, diaeresis, dimeter, dipody, division, dochmiac, droop, elegiac, elegiac couplet, elegiac pentameter, embellishment, emphasis, epitrite, exposition, false cadence, feminine caesura, figure, fioritura, flight, flourish, folderol, foot, grace, grace note, half cadence, harmonic close, heptameter, heptapody, heroic couplet, hexameter, hexapody, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, ictus, imperfect cadence, incidental, incidental note, interlude, intermezzo, introductory phrase, ionic, jingle, lapse, level of stress, lilt, long mordent, lowering, masculine caesura, measure, meter, metrical accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical unit, metrics, metron, mixed cadence, molossus, mora, mordent, movement, musical phrase, musical sentence, numbers, ornament, paeon, part, passage, pentameter, pentapody, period, phrase, plagal cadence, pralltriller, primary stress, proceleusmatic, prosodics, prosody, pulse, pyrrhic, quantity, refrain, resolution, response, rhythm, rhythmic pattern, rhythmical stress, ritornello, roulade, run, sag, secondary stress, section, single mordent, sinkage, slump, spondee, sprung rhythm, stanza, statement, strain, stress, stress accent, stress pattern, submergence, subsidence, swag, swing, syzygy, tailpiece, tempo, tertiary stress, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, thesis, tribrach, trimeter, tripody, triseme, trochee, turn, tutti, tutti passage, variation, verse, weak stress

ROGET THESAURUS

cadence

Motion

N motion, movement, move, going, unrest, stream, flow, flux, run, course, stir, evolution, kinematics, telekinesis, step, rate, pace, tread, stride, gait, port, footfall, cadence, carriage, velocity, angular velocity, clip, progress, locomotion, journey, voyage, transit, restlessness, mobility, movableness, motive power, laws of motion, mobilization, moving, in motion, transitional, motory, motive, shifting, movable, mobile, mercurial, unquiet, restless, nomadic, erratic, under way, on the move, on the wing, on the tramp, on the march, eppur si muove, es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille, sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt.

Descent

N descent, descension, declension, declination, fall, falling, slump, drop, plunge, plummet, cadence, subsidence, collapse, lapse, downfall, tumble, slip, tilt, trip, lurch, cropper, culbute, titubation, stumble, fate of Icarus, avalanche, debacle, landslip, landslide, declivity, dip, hill, rappel, descending, descendent, decurrent, decursive, labent, deciduous, nodding to its fall, downhill, downwards, the bottom fell out.

Sound

N sound, noise, strain, accent, twang, intonation, tone, cadence, sonorousness, audibility, resonance, voice, aspirate, ideophone, rough breathing, acoustics, phonics, phonetics, phonology, phonography, diacoustics, diaphonics, phonetism, sounding, soniferous, sonorous, sonorific, resonant, audible, distinct, stertorous, phonetic, phonic, phonocamptic, a thousand trills and quivering sounds, forensis strepitus.

Music

N music, concert, strain, tune, air, melody, aria, arietta, piece of music, work, number, opus, sonata, rondo, rondeau, pastorale, cavatina, roulade, fantasia, concerto, overture, symphony, variations, cadenza, cadence, fugue, canon, quodlibet, serenade, notturno, dithyramb, opera, operetta, oratorio, composition, movement, stave, passamezzo, toccata, Vorspiel, instrumental music, full score, minstrelsy, tweedledum and tweedledee, band, orchestra, concerted piece, potpourri, capriccio, vocal music, vocalism, chaunt, chant, psalm, psalmody, hymn, song, canticle, canzonet, cantata, bravura, lay, ballad, ditty, carol, pastoral, recitative, recitativo, solfeggio, Lydian measures, slow music, slow movement, adagio, minuet, siren strains, soft music, lullaby, dump, dirge, pibroch, martial music, march, dance music, waltz, solo, duet, duo, trio, quartet, quartett, septett, part song, descant, glee, madrigal, catch, round, chorus, chorale, antiphon, antiphony, accompaniment, second, bass, score, bourdon, drone, morceau, terzetto, composer, musician, musical, instrumental, vocal, choral, lyric, operatic, harmonious, Wagnerian, adagio, largo, larghetto, andante, andantino, alla capella, maestoso, moderato, allegro, allegretto, spiritoso, vivace, veloce, presto, prestissimo, con brio, capriccioso, scherzo, scherzando, legato, staccato, crescendo, diminuendo, rallentando, affettuoso, obbligato, pizzicato, desto, in notes by distance made more sweet, like the faint exquisite music of a dream, music arose with its voluptuous swell, music is the universal language of mankind, music's golden tongue, the speech of angels, will sing the savageness out of a bear, music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.