assai

[uh-sahy; Italian ahs-sah-ee]

adverb Music.

very: allegro assai (very quick).

Origin of assai

1715–25; < Italian: literally, enough ≪ Latin ad (up) to + satis enough. See asset

assai

[uh-sah-ee]

noun

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.

Origin of assai

1895–1900; < Portuguese < Tupi assaí

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for assai

Historical Examples of assai

Caterina answered him by quoting the Cyprian proverb, "Assai dimanda che fidelmente serve."
The Royal Pawn of Venice
Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
Assai ben balla, chi fortuna suona—He dances well to whom fortune pipes.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
Assai ricco chi non manca—He is rich enough who has no wants.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
Assai guadagna chi vano sperar perde—He 25 gains a great deal who loses a vain hope.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
Assai sa, chi non sa, se tacer sa—He who knows not, knows a good deal if he knows how to hold his tongue.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood

British Dictionary definitions for assai

assai

adverb

music (usually preceded by a musical direction) veryallegro assai

Word Origin for assai

Italian: enough

assai

noun

any of several Brazilian palm trees of the genus Euterpe, esp E. edulis, that have small dark purple fleshy edible fruit
a beverage made from the fruit of this tree

Word Origin for assai

via Brazilian Portuguese from Tupi

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