: a musical ornament made by a quick alternation of a principal tone with the tone immediately below it
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebOn the page, that ornament is a little squiggle called a mordent, instructing the player that the note should quickly alternate with one next to it. Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 25 Feb. 2018
Word History
Etymology
Italian mordente, literally, biting, pungent, from Latin mordent-, mordens, present participle of mordēre