Standard Lemma guide

mordent

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɔːdn̩t/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈmoɹd(ə)nt/
  • homophone: mordant
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)dənt

1

noun

Meaning 1

An ornament consisting of a single rapid alternation between a given pitch and another pitch either a whole step or half step immediately above or below it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Italian mordente. Doublet of mordant.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: mordent — ornament
  • Finnish: alahele — ornament
  • Finnish: mordentti — ornament
  • French: mordant — ornament
  • German: Mordent — ornament
  • Japanese: モルデント (morudento) — ornament
  • Japanese: 漣音 (ren'on) — ornament
  • Polish: mordent — ornament
  • Polish: zwrotnik — ornament
  • Russian: морде́нт (mordɛ́nt) — ornament