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

See Examples For:

assai

The tempo, marked in both editions, lento assai, is fast.

From Chopin : the Man and His Music by James Huneker

It grows in swampy lands, and produces a small fruit thinly coated with clotted flesh of which the inhabitants of Para manufacture a beverage called assai.

From Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture by William Saunders

The allegro assai in C minor is terrible in the midst of that deluge of fire.

From Massimilla Doni by Honoré de Balzac

I often heard them repeat the word "assai," and from their gestures I understood they were inviting me to go ashore, an invitation I felt obliged to decline.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

This introductory passage is marked, "Sostenuto assai," followed by the main movement marked, "Allegro ma non troppo."

From Memories of a Musical Life by William Mason