presto
[ pres-toh ]
/ ˈprɛs toʊ /
adverb
quickly, rapidly, or immediately.
at a rapid tempo (used as a musical direction).
adjective
quick or rapid.
executed at a rapid tempo (used as a musical direction).
noun, plural pres·tos.
Music. a movement or piece in quick tempo.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of presto
1590–1600; < Italian: quick, quickly < Late Latin praestus (adj.) ready, Latin praestō (adv.) at hand
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for presto
British Dictionary definitions for presto
presto
/ (ˈprɛstəʊ) /
adjective, adverb
music to be played very fast
adverb
immediately, suddenly, or at once (esp in the phrase hey presto)
noun plural -tos
music a movement or passage directed to be played very quickly
Word Origin for presto
C16: from Italian: fast, from Late Latin praestus (adj) ready to hand, Latin praestō (adv) present
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
Word Origin and History for presto
presto
1590s, "quickly," used by conjurers, etc., from Italian presto "quick, quickly" in conjuror's patter, from Latin praestus "ready," praesto (adv.) "ready, available," from prae "before" (see pre-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Cf. Latin praesto esse "to be at hand, be ready," source of French prêt "ready." As a musical direction, it is a separate borrowing from Italian, first recorded 1683.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper