presa

[prey-suh; Italian pre-zah]

noun, plural pre·se

[prey-sey; Italian pre-ze] /ˈpreɪ seɪ; Italian ˈprɛ zɛ/.

a mark, as :S:, +, or §, used in a canon, round, etc., to indicate where the successive voice parts are to take up the theme.

Origin of presa

1715–25; < Italian: literally, a taking up, feminine of preso, past participle of prendere to take < Latin prehendere to seize; see prehension

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

Examples from the Web for presa

Contemporary Examples of presa

Presa, Jugendstil, and schwannoma were the words that knocked a young phenom out of the last three National Spelling Bees.
Queens Phenom Goes for Redemption at National Spelling Bee Finals
Michael Daly
March 22, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for presa

presa

noun plural -se (-seɪ)

music a sign or symbol used in a canon, round, etc, to indicate the entry of each partUsual signs: +, :S:, ※

Word Origin for presa

Italian, literally: a taking up, from prendere to take, from Latin prehendere to grasp

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