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Webster 1913 Edition


Cadency

Ca′den-cy

,
Noun.
Descent of related families; distinction between the members of a family according to their ages.
Marks of cadency
(Her.)
,
bearings indicating the position of the bearer as older or younger son, or as a descendant of an older or younger son. See
Difference
(Her.)
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Cadency

CADENCY

,
Noun.
1.
A fall, a decline; a state of sinking.
2.
A fall of the voice in reading or speaking, as at the end of a sentence; also, the falling of the voice in the general modulation of tones in reciting. In reading or speaking, a certain tone is taken, which is called the key, or key-note, on which mot of the words are pronounced, and the fall of the voice below this tone is called cadence.
The ordinary cadence is a fall of the last syllable of a sentence only.
3.
The general tone of reading verse. The cadence of one line must be a rule to that of the next; as the sound of the former must slide gently into that which follows.
4.
Tone; sound; as, hoarse cadence.
5.
In music, repose; the termination of a harmonical phrase on a repose or on a perfect chord.
Also, the manner of closing a song; embellishment at the close.
6.
In horsemanship, an equal measure or proportion observed by a horse in all his motions.
7.
In heraldry, the distinction of families.

Definition 2024


cadency

cadency

English

Noun

cadency (countable and uncountable, plural cadencies)

  1. Alternative form of cadence
  2. (heraldry) Any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family.