mezza voce

[ met-suh voh-chey, med-zuh, mez-uh ]
/ ˈmɛt sə ˈvoʊ tʃeɪ, ˈmɛd zə, ˈmɛz ə /

adverb, adjective

with half the power of the voice (used as a musical direction). Abbreviation: m.v.

Origin of mezza voce

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1765–75

Words nearby mezza voce

British Dictionary definitions for mezza voce

mezza voce
/ (ˈmɛtsə ˈvəʊtʃɪ, Italian ˈmɛddza ˈvotʃe) /

adverb

music (in singing) softly; quietly

Word Origin for mezza voce

Italian, literally: half voice