Accelerando

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɑˌkʃɛl.əˈɹɑn.doʊ/

Definitions

1. An instruction in music to gradually increase the speed of the performance
2. A signal for musicians to progressively quicken the pace at which they play
3. A notation indicating that the tempo should steadily become faster

Etymology: Anyone who has seen a musical score has met this word, though it is written in Italian rather than English. It is the Italian present participle of "accelerare," meaning "getting faster," and the instruction tells players to quicken the tempo gradually rather than all at once. The Italian verb goes back to Latin "accelerare," built from "ad," meaning "to," and "celer," meaning "swift," so the idea of speed is baked into its roots. English took the term directly from Italian, as composers writing in Italian had long made it the standard language of tempo markings. The word's grammar is a clue to how it works: the "-ando" ending marks it as an ongoing action, so it reads as a direction to keep accelerating for as long as the passage continues. Its opposite, "ritardando," is built the same way from a verb meaning "to delay."

Synonyms: speeding up, quickening, hastening, gaining speed, ramping up

Antonyms: decelerando, slowing down, decreasing, diminishing, stopping