Dictionary.com

legato

[ luh-gah-toh; Italian le-gah-taw ]
/ ləˈgɑ toʊ; Italian lɛˈgɑ tɔ /
Save This Word!

adjective, adverb Music.
smooth and connected; without breaks between the successive tones.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Compare staccato.

Origin of legato

1805–15; <Italian, past participle of legare<Latin ligāre to bind

OTHER WORDS FROM legato

non·le·ga·to, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use legato in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for legato

legato
/ (lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ) music /

adjective, adverb
to be performed smoothly and connectedly
noun plural -tos
  1. a style of playing in which no perceptible gaps are left between notes
  2. (as modifier)a legato passage

Word Origin for legato

C19: from Italian, literally: bound
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
FEEDBACK