From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdiminuendodi‧min‧u‧en‧do /dəˌmɪnjuˈendəʊ $ -doʊ/ noun (plural diminuendos) [countable] APMAPMa part in a piece of music where it becomes gradually quieter OPP crescendo —diminuendo adjective, adverb
Examples from the Corpus
diminuendo• Both works end on a possible return, on what might look like a bleak diminuendo but is really an anxiety state.Origin diminuendo (1700-1800) Italian Latin minuere “to make less” 