rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: quatere
Latin

quatere

shake or strike

Forms

  • quatere
  • quass- — The changed form used for completed action.
  • -cut- — A changed form found in compounds.
  • -cuss- — The corresponding changed form in completed-action derivatives.

Origin

An inherited Latin verb with older Indo-European ancestry.

Note

A forceful shake can become a blow, a disturbance, or an examination that tests something.

5 / 5
noun

percussion

per-KUSH-uhn/pərˈkʌʃn/

Instrumental sound produced by striking, shaking, or scraping.

Soft percussion gives the song a gentle, steady pulse.

An adult percussionist strikes a small snare drum with two wooden drumsticks, a plain tambourine and shaker lie nearby.
Etymology
perLatinthrough; thoroughly
+cussLatinshake or strike
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces describe striking through and through, or striking hard. The resulting noun meant a blow or beating before it came to name musical instruments sounded by blows.

In context

Boston Symphony Orchestra12:17
and a lot of percussion but the percussion all comes from three instruments which are the three sacred drums
Interview with Osvaldo Golijov by Brian Bell: La Pasión según San Marcos

More examples

  • The recording blends crisp percussion with warm guitar chords.
  • Shaken maracas add lively percussion to the chorus.
  • Scraping a washboard produces percussion that cuts through the melody.

Forms

percussive adjective — Produced by striking or resembling such sounds.

percussionist noun — A musician who plays percussion instruments.

Similar words

drumming
Specifically suggests drum sounds rather than percussion's wider range.