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andante

[ahn-dahn-tey, an-dan-tee; Italian ahn-dahn-te]Music.
adjective, adverb
  1. moderately slow and even.
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noun, plural an·dan·tes.
  1. 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for andante

Historical Examples of andante

  • Tempo: Adagio lamentoso, with occasionally a rise to andante maesto.

    A Book of Burlesques

    H. L. Mencken

  • After the andante came the caballeta, and then the coda-finale.

  • So they plunged again into an Andante and Scherzo of Beethoven.

    Robert Elsmere

    Mrs. Humphry Ward

  • As Celeste began the andante, Nora signified to the Barone to drop his work.

  • The Andante is religioso, and is fervent rather than sombre.

British Dictionary definitions for andante

andante

adjective, adverb
  1. (to be performed) at a moderately slow tempo
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noun
  1. a passage or piece to be performed in this manner
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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

Word Origin and History for andante

musical direction, "moderately slow," 1742, from Italian andante, present participle of andare "to go," from Vulgar Latin ambitare (source of Spanish andar "to go"), from Latin ambitus, past participle of ambire "to go round, go about" (see ambient).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper