tempo
[ tem-poh ]
/ ˈtɛm poʊ /
noun, plural tem·pos, tem·pi [tem-pee]. /ˈtɛm pi/.
Music. relative rapidity or rate of movement, usually indicated by such terms as adagio, allegro, etc., or by reference to the metronome.
characteristic rate, rhythm, or pattern of work or activity: the tempo of city life.
Chess. the gaining or losing of time and effectiveness relative to one's continued mobility or developing position, especially with respect to the number of moves required to gain an objective: Black gained a tempo.
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Origin of tempo
1680–90; <Italian <Latin tempus time
Words nearby tempo
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for tempo
British Dictionary definitions for tempo
tempo
/ (ˈtɛmpəʊ) /
noun plural -pos or -pi (-piː)
the speed at which a piece or passage of music is meant to be played, usually indicated by a musical direction (tempo marking) or metronome marking
rate or pace
Word Origin for tempo
C18: from Italian, from Latin tempus time
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for tempo
tempo
In music, the speed at which a piece is performed. It is the Italian word for “time.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.