fermata
noun
fer·ma·ta
fer-ˈmä-tə 
: a prolongation at the discretion of the performer of a musical note, chord, or rest beyond its given time value
also
: the sign denoting such a prolongation
called also hold
Examples of fermata in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bridge received special treatment with a revised set of more ambitious chords and a fermata — an extended hold as pieces of electronica create otherworldly atmospherics.
—
Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
The majestic tranquility of Kind of Blue marks a kind of fermata in jazz.
—James Kaplan, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024
What Nabokov describes in his typically florid style, without naming it, is the fermata.
—Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023
There was nothing unassuming about Sunday’s rendition, in which every exaggerated accent and fermata in the first two movements seemed to foreshadow the eventual descent into delusion.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
In baroque usage, those fermata markings just indicate the ends of phrases, not (as in later music) directives to hold notes for extra time.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
There can be no drama without fermatas of stillness.
—Tom Bissell, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
Somehow, an insistent fermata of sirens manages to slink through from the street.
—Danielle Ofri, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2020
The mysterious ancient Hebrew word selah is one word for this response, which some believe is a musical notation akin to a fermata.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2018
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Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
The majestic tranquility of Kind of Blue marks a kind of fermata in jazz.
—James Kaplan, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024
What Nabokov describes in his typically florid style, without naming it, is the fermata.
—Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023
There was nothing unassuming about Sunday’s rendition, in which every exaggerated accent and fermata in the first two movements seemed to foreshadow the eventual descent into delusion.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
In baroque usage, those fermata markings just indicate the ends of phrases, not (as in later music) directives to hold notes for extra time.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
There can be no drama without fermatas of stillness.
—Tom Bissell, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
Somehow, an insistent fermata of sirens manages to slink through from the street.
—Danielle Ofri, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2020
The mysterious ancient Hebrew word selah is one word for this response, which some believe is a musical notation akin to a fermata.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Fermata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fermata. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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