smorzare

to dampen

verb zmor-TSAH-reh Rare

Also means

to muffle (a sound)

Usage Note

Smorzare literally means to reduce the intensity of something — to douse a flame, muffle a sound, or soften a colour. In music, smorzando (or smorz.) is a performance direction meaning to fade and slow simultaneously. In everyday speech it appears in phrases like smorzare i toni (to tone things down) and smorzare l'entusiasmo (to dampen enthusiasm).

Examples

"La tenda smorzava la luce del sole."

Natural Translation

The curtain muffled the sunlight.

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