tempo

[tem-poh]

noun

plural

tempos, tempi 

1. Music.,  relative rapidity or rate of movement, usually indicated by such terms as adagio, allegro, etc., or by reference to the metronome.

2. characteristic rate, rhythm, or pattern of work or activity.

   the tempo of city life.

3. 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.

tempo

/ ˈtɛmpəʊ /

noun

1. 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

2. rate or pace

tempo

1. In music, the speed at which a piece is performed. It is the Italian word for “time.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tempo¹

1680–90; < Italian < Latin tempus time

Word History and Origins

Origin of tempo¹

C18: from Italian, from Latin tempus time

Example Sentences

The old woman thumped her fist on the tray in tempo.

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“The boys,” as Disney himself would come to call them, were so nervous and excited that they decided to write three songs, with varying tempos, in the hopes that at least one melody would please.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is difficult to predict the pace and tempo of the slide towards authoritarianism, and even harder to predict the “if and when” of resistance and reversal of that slide.

Read more on Salon

The vibe is exuberant and anarchic and very much in tempo with the joy-craving fatalism of today.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The stars of “Bugonia” say their camera was like a chunky time-traveler whose presence on set raised the stakes and shifted the tempo.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cadence 
• momentum 
• pace 
• velocity