What does the term "accelerando" indicate in music?

The term "accelerando" is a directive in music that signals the performer to gradually increase the tempo or speed of the music. This term originates from the Italian word for "accelerating," reflecting its meaning in the context of music performance. When a piece of music indicates "accelerando," it evokes a sense of building excitement or urgency as the tempo progresses.

In contrast, the other terms relate to different musical effects and are not applicable in this context—getting slower would be indicated by "ritardando," holding a note refers to techniques such as "fermata," and changing dynamics involves terms like "crescendo" or "diminuendo." Thus, "accelerando" specifically pertains to increasing speed, making the selection of getting faster the correct interpretation in this scenario.