ritenuto

[ ree-tuh-noo-toh; Italian ree-te-noo-taw ]

/ ˌri təˈnu toʊ; Italian ˌri tɛˈnu tɔ /

adverb, adjective

(of a passage in a musical score) immediately slower.

Nearby words

rite,
rite de passage,
rite of intensification,
rite of passage,
rite of spring, the,
rites of passage,
ritornello,
ritschlian,
ritter,
ritter's disease

Origin of ritenuto

1820–30; < Italian: literally, held back, past participle of ritenere; see retain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for ritenuto

ritenuto

/ (ˌrɪtəˈnuːtəʊ) /

adjective, adverb music

held back momentarily

another term for rallentando

Abbreviation: rit

Word Origin for ritenuto

C19: from Italian, from past participle of ritenere, from Latin retinēre to hold back

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