Andante

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ænˈdæn.ti/

Definitions

1. A musical tempo marking indicating a moderately slow, walking pace
2. a musical instruction to perform at a moderately slow, measured pace resembling a steady walk
3. a tempo designation directing performers to play at a leisurely, unhurried speed between adagio and allegro

Etymology: Andante is the Italian present participle of "andare," meaning "to go," and its musical use comes from the sense of walking or moving along at a steady pace. Musicians adopted it as a tempo marking, so a passage marked andante asks for something like a relaxed walking speed, which is why it sits between the slow, broad adagio and the quick allegro. The verb behind it traces back through Early Medieval Latin "andare" to a Vulgar Latin verb "ambitare," a frequentative of "ambire," meaning to go around. Its ancestry runs through the Latin "ambulare," to walk, which is also the source of the English word "amble," and the connection to the idea of an easy, rambling gait is clear in both. The word entered English as a musical term, borrowed directly from Italian, and it has kept that technical sense. The adjective and noun uses in English are both drawn from the same tempo marking, so a piece played andante and a passage labelled andante share the same unhurried pace.

Synonyms: moderate, slow