assai

¹ American  

[uh-sahy, ahs-sah-ee] / əˈsaɪ, ɑsˈsɑ i /

adverb

Music.

1. very.

   allegro assai (very quick).

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assai ² American  

[uh-sah-ee] / əˈsɑ i /

noun

1. any of several slender Brazilian palms of the genus Euterpe, especially E. edulis, a species bearing a purple fruit from which a beverage is made by infusion.

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assai ¹ British  

/ æˈsaɪ /

noun

1. any of several Brazilian palm trees of the genus Euterpe, esp E. edulis, that have small dark purple fleshy edible fruit

2. a beverage made from the fruit of this tree

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assai ² British  

/ æˈsaɪ /

adverb

1. music (usually preceded by a musical direction) very

   allegro assai

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Etymology

Origin of assai¹

First recorded in 1715–25; from Italian: literally, “enough,”ultimately from Latin ad “(up) to” + satis “enough.” See asset

Origin of assai²

1895–1900; < Portuguese < Tupi assaí

Example Sentences

Disposals at the end of the first quarter amounted to 4.2 billion euros, near its year-end target of 4.5 billion euros, including the sale of an 18.8% stake in Brazilian supermarket chain Assai for 723 million euros.

From Reuters

Casino said it would be selling 12.9% of Assai's share capital, representing 174 million shares.

From Reuters

Casino said the sale amount could be increased by up to 80 million common shares, representing an extra 5.9% of Assai's share capital.

From Reuters

Casino owns a 30.5% stake in Assai, according to the Brazilian firm's website.

From Reuters

The figure reflects the high performance of the 32 stores inaugurated in the last 12 months, Assai said in a securities filing.

From Reuters