tremolo

noun

trem·​o·​lo ˈtre-mə-ˌlō 

plural tremolos

1

a

: the rapid reiteration of a musical tone or of alternating tones to produce a tremulous effect

b

: vocal vibrato especially when prominent or excessive

2

: a mechanical device in an organ for causing a tremulous effect

Examples of tremolo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And the tremolo was supposed to approximate a classical guitar player, and it was used for all those whaling solos that Hendrix did. —Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

But then there's this guitar behind me that's three humbuckers, chrome pickguard and a Strat head stuck on a Tele with a strap tremolo on it. —Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

The Sine guitar rocks movable pickups and a novel metal pad for swells and tremolo plus pedal control and expression. —New Atlas, 15 Jan. 2025

By pushing the lower edge of the Pad, the Sine player moves the pickups away from the strings and lowers output volume – in essence offering something akin to a tremolo effect or a volume swell. —New Atlas, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from tremolo tremulous, from Latin tremulus

First Known Use

circa 1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tremolo

noun

trem·​o·​lo ˈtrem-ə-ˌlō 

plural tremolos

1

: the rapid repetition of a musical tone or of alternating tones to produce a rapid wavering sound

2

: a mechanical device in an organ for causing a rapid wavering sound