meno
1 Americanadverb
adverb
-
(esp preceding a dynamic or tempo marking) to be played less quickly, less softly, etc
-
short for meno mosso
combining form
Usage
What does meno- mean? Meno- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “month.” It is often used in medical terms, specifically in references to menstruation.Meno- comes from the Greek mḗn, meaning “month.” It's distantly related to the English word moon, itself related to the word month. Many calendars, both in the past and present, are based on the cycles of the moon.Menstruation is the periodic flow (known as menses) of blood and other substances from the uterus, which happens approximately every month in women of certain ages. Indeed, both menstruation and menses derive from the Latin mēnsis, meaning “month.”What are variants of meno-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, meno- becomes men-, as in menarche.
Etymology
Origin of meno1
1875–80; < Italian < Latin minus less
Origin of meno-2
< Greek mēno-, combining form of mḗn month; moon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Heaven! how does the Poco piu and the Poco meno of the Italian artists;—the insensible more or less, determine the precise line of beauty in the sentence, as well as in the statue!
From The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Sterne, Laurence
Io non mi posso dal cor dipartire La dolce vista del viso sereno, Perch'io mi sento senza lei morire, E 'l spirto a poco a poco venir meno.
From Stories from the Italian Poets: with Lives of the Writers, Volume 2 by Tasso, Torquato
Cosa non meno vtile, che bella, Di nouo Ristampato, & Osseruato l'ordine suo vero nel dire.
From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 2 by Yule, Henry
Ma la S. C. trova delle difficoltà gravi, più o meno, in tutti i progetti, ch' egli narra, fatti da quei politici.
From The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, November 1864 by
A definitely slower tempo at once più lento meno mosso ritenuto 3.
From Essentials in Conducting by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.