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adagio

[ uh-dah-joh, -zhee-oh; Italian ah-dah-jaw ]
/ əˈdɑ dʒoʊ, -ʒiˌoʊ; Italian ɑˈdɑ dʒɔ /
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adverb
Music. in a leisurely manner; slowly.
adjective
Music. slow.
noun, plural a·da·gios.
Music. an adagio movement or piece.
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.
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Origin of adagio

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

Words nearby adagio

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adagio in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adagio

adagio
/ (əˈdɑːdʒɪˌəʊ, Italian aˈdadʒo) music /

adjective, adverb
(to be performed) slowly
noun plural -gios
a movement or piece to be performed slowly
ballet a slow section of a pas de deux

Word Origin for adagio

C18: Italian, from ad at + agio ease
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for adagio

adagio
[ (uh-dah-joh, uh-dah-zhee-oh) ]

A very slow musical tempo.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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