Allegretto
/ˌæl.əˈɡrɛt.oʊ/noun
A musical direction meaning moderately fast, or a piece played at that tempo.
Did you know?Allegretto comes from Italian diminutive forms of allegro, which ultimately traces back to Latin alacer, meaning “lively” or “brisk,” so the word literally carries a softened spark of energy.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
alacer
“lively, brisk, eager”
Late Latin / Italian
Italian
allegro
“cheerful, lively; later a musical tempo marking”
Italian
Italian
allegretto
“somewhat lively; a moderately fast tempo”
18th Century
English
allegretto
“adopted as a musical instruction or tempo term from Italian”
Modern English
English
allegretto
“a moderately fast musical tempo or a piece marked with that tempo”
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