rit
Abbreviation of ritardando.
Adverb
- Abbreviation of ritardando.
Noun
- A scratch, a score or a groove.
Origin
From Middle English ritten (“to cut, score, slit, tear”), from Old English *rittan (“to cut, score, slit, tear,”) (compare Old High German rizzen), from Proto-West Germanic *rittjan, from Proto-Germanic *ritjaną (“to cut, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *wrid-néh₂-; see *hrītaną. Cognate with Middle Low German ritten (“to scratch”), German ritzen (“to scratch”). Compare with Proto-Slavic *rězati (“to cut, carve, engrave”)). See also rat.
Forms
Verb
- To scratch or score.
- To tear, rip, rend.
- To slit.