ca|dence

ca|dence «KAY duhns», noun, verb, -denced, -denc|ing.

–n.

1. the measure or beat of music, dancing, or any movement regularly repeating itself; rhythm: »

The constant cadence of the surf lulled us to sleep. Wit will shine Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line (John Dryden).

2. a fall of the voice: »

The actor's cadence marked the end of the scene.

3. a rising and falling sound; modulation: »

She speaks with a pleasant cadence. In a strongly stressed language like English it is the end-of-sentence tune that has the greatest significance and it is this final harmony or cadence that changes least (Simeon Potter). If my students learned anything, it was from listening to my intonation, not my explanation. Now I teach them to listen for the cadence, and decide their punctuation on that basis (George P. Faust).

4. a) a series of chords bringing part of a piece of music to an end: »

He heard the cadence and realized that the concert was almost over.

b) a melodic strain that brings a section of a musical composition to an end.

–v.t.

to put into cadence: »

Empedocles…cadenced his great work on Nature in the same sonorous verse (John Addington Symonds).

╂[< French cadence < Italian cadenza < Vulgar Latin cadentia < Latin cadere fall. See etym. of doublets cadenza (Cf. ↑cadenza), chance. (Cf. ↑chance)]