andante

[ ahn-dahn-tey, an-dan-tee; Italian ahn-dahn-te ]

/ ɑnˈdɑn teɪ, ænˈdæn ti; Italian ɑnˈdɑn tɛ /

Music.

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adjective, adverb

moderately slow and even.

noun, plural an·dan·tes.

an andante movement or piece.

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Origin of andante

1735–45; <Italian: literally, walking, present participle of andare to walk, go (see -ant); etymology disputed, but often alleged: <Vulgar Latin *ambitare, derivative of Latin ambitus circular motion, roundabout journey (see ambit); perhaps, alternatively, early Latin borrowing <Gaulish *andā-, akin to Latin pandere to spread (hence, stride); compare passus step, pace (action noun *pand-tu-), equivalent to Old Irish ēs footprint, track

Words nearby andante

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andamanese, Andaman Islands, Andaman Sea, andamento, andante, andantino, AND circuit, Andean, Andean Community of Nations, Anderlecht

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

How to use andante in a sentence

The andante is a little dry, but just on that account very characteristic—as reminiscent of the days of powder and patches.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
You have made a transition from the frolicsome allegretto of the bachelor to the heavy andante of the father of a family.
The Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete|Honore de Balzac
The "Andante" played by Chopin was of course the middle movement of one of his concertos.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
The Andante was therefore excluded and its place supplied by the interesting Introduction to the Rondo which it now has.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer

Themes for the Allegro, Andante and Scherzo are found in sketchbooks belonging, at the very latest, to the years 1800 and 1801.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer

British Dictionary definitions for andante

andante

/ (ænˈdænteɪ) music /

adjective, adverb

(to be performed) at a moderately slow tempo

noun

a passage or piece to be performed in this manner

Word Origin for andante

C18: Italian: going, from andare to go, from Latin ambulāre to walk

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