fermatan.
/fəːˈmɑːtə/, /fəˈmɑːtə/, U.S. /fərˈmɑdə/ Music.
A pause of unspecified length; the sign indicating such a pause.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > pause sign
pause1614
hold1660
stay1667
fermata1876
1842 J. F. Warner Dict. Mus. Terms p. xxxviii/2 Fermata is the Italian name for what we call a hold.]
1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 165/1 Fermata (It.), a pause (from fermare, to stay, or stop).
1889 Cent. Dict. Fermata,..A pause in the accompaniment to give room for an extended cadenza by the soloist.
1955 W. H. Auden Shield of Achilles ii. 43 In timeless fermatas of awe and delight.
1962 Times 6 Apr. 17/6 Tempo-changes were ungainly and dramatic fermate ill-judged.
1969 Daily Tel. 18 Jan. 17/5 At the same time the fermatas, traditionally signposts inviting improvised insertions, grow scarcer.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1876