sostenuto

[ sos-tuh-noo-toh, soh-stuh-; Italian saws-te-noo-taw ]

/ ˌsɒs təˈnu toʊ, ˌsoʊ stə-; Italian ˌsɔs tɛˈnu tɔ /

Music.

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adjective

sustained or prolonged in the time value of the tones.

noun, plural sos·te·nu·tos, Italian sos·te·nu·ti

[saws-te-noo-tee]. /ˌsɔs tɛˈnu ti/.

a movement or passage played in this manner.

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Origin of sostenuto

1715–25; <Italian, past participle of sostenere;see sustain

Words nearby sostenuto

Sosa, sosatie, Soseki, Sosnowiec, so-so, sostenuto, sostenuto pedal, sot, Soter, soteriology, so that

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sostenuto in a sentence

In the very midst of one of his finest and tenderest sostenuto passages, Josephine sneezed--and such a sneeze!
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards
"But my tremolo—my sostenuto will be ruined," said Hippolyte wildly.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, February 18th, 1920|Various
In the middle comes the second part, "Nel seno a destarmi;" then again the sostenuto.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
In the next movement (Largo e sostenuto) sombre tones still prevail; the key is that of the dominant minor.
The Pianoforte Sonata|J.S. Shedlock

The symphony begins with an introduction marked sostenuto e maestoso, built on this theme.
Richard Wagner His Life and His Dramas|W. J. Henderson

British Dictionary definitions for sostenuto

sostenuto

/ (ˌsɒstəˈnuːtəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

music (preceded by a tempo marking) to be performed in a smooth sustained manner

Word Origin for sostenuto

C18: from Italian, from sostenere to sustain, from Latin sustinēre to uphold

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