释义 |
ca·dence I. \ˈkādən(t)s\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Old Italian cadenza, from cadere to fall (from Latin) + enza -ence; in senses other than 1, probably mostly from Middle French or French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza — more at chance 1. a. : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language; specifically : a particular rhythmic sequence distinctive of an individual author or literary composition < the grand cadence of his poetry > b. : the beat, time, measure, or sequence of any rhythmical motion or activity (as marching, dancing, rowing) c. : a sequence of motions, colors, or events < the cadence of glittering ripple and moving leaf — Richard Jefferies > < slower cadence of life — Irish Digest > 2. a. : a falling inflection of the voice in reading or speaking (as at the end of a sentence) b. : a concluding and usually falling strain; specifically : a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest and giving a sense of partial or total harmonic completion 3. a. : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of any sound, especially the sounds of nature (as of waves or wind) b. : the general or a characteristic rhythmic modulation of the voice < the cadence of the countryman's speech > 4. : the characteristic unit of the harmonic structure of tonal music consisting of a musical progression from harmonic stability to suspension and back to stability 5. a. : the rising or falling order of strong, long, or stressed syllables and weak, short, or unstressed syllables < rising cadence > < iambic cadence > — compare arsis, ionic, meter b. : an unmetrical or irregular arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in prose or free verse based on natural stress groups Synonyms: see rhythm II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) : to put into cadence or rhythm |