tenuto

American

[tuh-noo-toh, te-noo-taw] / təˈnu toʊ, tɛˈnu tɔ /

adjective

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

tenuto British

/ tɪˈnjuːtəʊ /

adjective

music (of a note) to be held for or beyond its full time value

"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

Etymology

Origin of tenuto

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Stasevska’s heavily opinionated interpretation was unusual from the start; the slurred tenuto phrases of the strings, rather than gentle waves approaching a shore, were a ride along a bumpy road.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023