crescendo

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
crescendo /krɪˈʃɛndəʊ/

▶noun

• 1 (pl. crescendos or crescendi /-di/) a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music.

• 2 the loudest or climactic point.

▶adverb & adjective Music with a gradual increase in loudness. ▶verb (crescendoes, crescendoing, crescendoed) increase in loudness or intensity.

– origin C18: Ital., pres. part. of crescere ‘to increase’.