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assai

1
[ uh-sahy; Italian ahs-sah-ee ]
/ əˈsaɪ; Italian ɑsˈsɑ i /
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adverb Music.
very: allegro assai (very quick).
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Origin of assai

1
First recorded in 1715–25; from Italian: literally, “enough,”ultimately from Latin ad “(up) to” + satis “enough.” See asset

Other definitions for assai (2 of 2)

assai2
[ uh-sah-ee ]
/ əˈsɑ i /

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

2
1895–1900; <Portuguese <Tupi assaí
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use assai in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assai (1 of 2)

assai1
/ (æˈsaɪ) /

adverb
music (usually preceded by a musical direction) veryallegro assai

Word Origin for assai

Italian: enough

British Dictionary definitions for assai (2 of 2)

assai2
/ (æˈsaɪ) /

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
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