tempo

[tem-poh]

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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.

Origin of tempo

1680–90; < Italian < Latin tempus time

a tempo

[ah-tem-poh; Italian ah-tem-paw]

adverb Music.

resuming the speed obtained preceding ritardando or accelerando.

Origin of a tempo

1730–40; < Italian: in (the regular) time

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

Related Words for tempo

pace, cadence, momentum, velocity, downbeat, measure, meter, rate, pulse, time, speed, bounce

Examples from the Web for tempo

Contemporary Examples of tempo

At the same time, it has escalated the tempo of aerial bombardment and resumed its scorched earth campaign against civilians.
Satellites Correctly Predict Military Campaign Against Civilians in Sudan
Akshaya Kumar
December 9, 2013
Rather it is the time to increase the size and tempo of guerrilla attacks even through the coming, bitterly cold Afghan winter.
Taliban’s Quetta Shura Meet in Islamabad to Press for Peace
Ron Moreau
November 1, 2013
Crisis, pause, crisis, pause: this has been the tempo of North Korean behavior since the end of the Cold War.
What Can We Do About North Korea?
David Frum
April 5, 2013
Now, with the campaign over, President Obama must set the tempo for a second term.
What Progressives Want From Obama’s Second Term
Anthony Woods
November 26, 2012
With Bachmann hanging back, Romney seized control of the tempo in what may have been his strongest performance so far.
Romney Puts Perry on Defensive
Howard Kurtz
September 13, 2011

Historical Examples of tempo

And outside that foul transparent pit the tempo quickened also.
Under Arctic Ice
H.G. Winter
The ticking did not change its tempo until she came to her waist.
The Moon is Green
Fritz Reuter Leiber
Tempo: Adagio lamentoso, with occasionally a rise to andante maesto.
A Book of Burlesques
H. L. Mencken
He speaks of three kinds of tempo—lively, moderate and slow.
A Popular History of the Art of Music
W. S. B. Mathews
He and his baton are your friends and are giving you your tempo.
The Art of Stage Dancing
Ned Wayburn

British Dictionary definitions for tempo

tempo

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

a tempo

adjective, adverb

to the original tempo

noun

a passage thus marked

Also: tempo primo

Word Origin for a tempo

Italian: in (the original) time

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 tempo

"relative speed of a piece of music," 1724, from Italian tempo, literally "time" (plural tempi), from Latin tempus (genitive temporis) "time" (see temporal). Extended to non-musical senses 1898.

tempo in Culture

tempo

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