tenuto

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

/ təˈnu toʊ; Italian tɛˈnu tɔ /

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adjective

Music. (of a note, chord, or rest) held to the full time value.

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Origin of tenuto

1890–95; <Italian: held (past participle of tenere) <Vulgar Latin *tenūtus, for Latin tentus

Words nearby tenuto

tenuity, tenuous, tenure, tenured, tenure-track, tenuto, ten-weeks stock, Ten-Wheeler, ten-yard rule, Ten Years' War, Tenzing

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

How to use tenuto in a sentence

His tone is all through his nose, and his tenuto is like the tremulant stop on the organ.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
Tenuto—(from teneo, to hold)—a direction signifying that the tones are to be prolonged to the full value indicated by the notes.
Music Notation and Terminology|Karl W. Gehrkens

British Dictionary definitions for tenuto

tenuto

/ (tɪˈnjuːtəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

music (of a note) to be held for or beyond its full time valueSymbol: (written above a note) ¯

Word Origin for tenuto

from Italian, literally: held, from tenere to hold, from Latin tenēre

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