allegretto

[ al-i-gret-oh; Italian ahl-le-gret-taw ]

/ ˌæl ɪˈgrɛt oʊ; Italian ˌɑl lɛˈgrɛt tɔ /

Music.

adjective, adverb

light, graceful, and moderately fast in tempo.

noun, plural al·le·gret·tos.

an allegretto movement.

Nearby words

allegorist, allegoristic, allegorize, allegory, allegra, allegretto, allegri, allegro, allegro, l', allele, allelic gene

Origin of allegretto

1730–40; < Italian, equivalent to allegr(o) allegro + -etto -et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for allegretto

The Scherzo is clever and effective, and the Allegretto cantabile, though the last, is scarcely the best of the four movements.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock
This Allegretto is continued until the theme is taken up in C minor.
Life of Beethoven|Anton Schindler
Allegretto energicamente, two-four, a merry, quick-step movement of two eight-bar periods.
Nicolo Paganini: His Life and Work|Stephen Samuel Stratton
Simple as the Allegretto appears in its suggestion of halting dance, the intent in the episodes is of the subtlest.
Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies|Philip H. Goepp

The first of the Eastern dances (allegretto quasi andante) is based upon a Turkish song in 6-8 measure.
The Russian Opera|Rosa Newmarch

British Dictionary definitions for allegretto

allegretto

/ (ˌælɪˈɡrɛtəʊ) music /

adjective, adverb

(to be performed) fairly quickly or briskly

noun plural -tos

a piece or passage to be performed in this manner

Word Origin for allegretto

C19: diminutive of allegro

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