TEMPO
What does "TEMPO" mean?
The speed at which a piece of music is played, or the pace of any activity.
Meanings
- The rate or speed at which a passage of music is performed. The conductor took the finale at a furious tempo.
- The characteristic pace or rhythm of an activity, process, or event. Negotiations slowed to a sluggish tempo over the holidays.
Word origin
From Italian 'tempo' meaning time, from Latin 'tempus' (time); borrowed into English in the 18th century as a musical term.
Remember it
TEMPO holds TIME inside it: from Latin 'tempus', the same root as 'temporary' and 'tempest' (the storm that times itself).
A little poem
Set the metronome too slow:
the song becomes a funeral.
Speed it up - and it learns to run.
tercet
Wordplay
- The drummer kept rushing the song. The band staged an intervention - they couldn't keep up with his tempo, so they had to set the pace.
What it teaches
Two players can hit every right note and still ruin a song; agreement is mostly a matter of tempo.
Quick facts
What does TEMPO mean?
The speed at which a piece of music is played, or the pace of any activity.
Is TEMPO a valid word?
Yes — TEMPO is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is TEMPO?
TEMPO has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does TEMPO come from?
From Italian 'tempo' meaning time, from Latin 'tempus' (time); borrowed into English in the 18th century as a musical term.
What can TEMPO teach us?
Two players can hit every right note and still ruin a song; agreement is mostly a matter of tempo.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.