adagio

American  

[uh-dah-joh, -zhee-oh, ah-dah-jaw] / əˈdɑ dʒoʊ, -ʒiˌoʊ, ɑˈdɑ dʒɔ /

adverb

1. Music. in a leisurely manner; slowly.

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adjective

1. Music. slow.

noun

adagios plural

1. Music. an adagio movement or piece.

2. Dance.

   1. a sequence of well-controlled, graceful movements performed as a display of skill.

   2. a duet by a man and a woman or mixed trio emphasizing difficult technical feats.

   3. (especially in ballet) a love-duet sequence in a pas de deux.

adagio British  

/ əˈdɑːdʒɪˌəʊ, aˈdadʒo /

adjective

1. (to be performed) slowly

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noun

1. a movement or piece to be performed slowly

2. ballet a slow section of a pas de deux

adagio Cultural  

1. A very slow musical tempo.

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Etymology

Origin of adagio

1740–50; < Italian, for ad agio at ease; agio < Old Provençal ais or Old French aise ( see ease)

Explanation

In music, the term adagio means played slowly. If a symphony has an adagio movement, it's a section that's played at a slow tempo. Adagio can be an instruction on a piece of sheet music, directing the musician to play slowly, or it can be a description of a musical interlude. Sometimes a composition has the word adagio in its title, like Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The origin of adagio is the Italian phrase ad agio, in which ad means "at" or "to," and agio means "leisure."

Example Sentences

Whatever happens in this trial, it will happen at a pace that makes an adagio tempo feel like an all-out sprint.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2023

Zelenskyy then spoke briefly with the families, as a small orchestra played a mournful adagio.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2023

Like the Weber, Farrenc’s Third packs a punch early with the first movement’s surge from adagio to allegro, effervescently realized across the strings on Thursday.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022

The adagio was performed at the Last Night in 2001, just four days after the atrocity, with American conductor Leonard Slatkin on the podium.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2021

Compare: Does the Music Therapy selection on the Mood/Relaxed channel on Spotify create the same physical reaction as any of the classical adagio selections suggested above?

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin