portamento

[ pawr-tuh-men-toh, pohr-; Italian pawr-tah-men-taw ]

/ ˌpɔr təˈmɛn toʊ, ˌpoʊr-; Italian ˌpɔr tɑˈmɛn tɔ /

a passing or gliding from one pitch or tone to another with a smooth progression.

Origin of portamento

1765–75; < Italian: fingering, literally, a bearing, carrying. See port⁵, -ment

The portamento being an embellishment that pertains to the cantabile, it is very little used in declamatory singing.

Style in Singing |W. E. Haslam
Some minor effects utilized in Style in singing may be briefly alluded to: Portamento; variations of Tempo.

Style in Singing |W. E. Haslam
At one point the boys took a portamento—a grace which very few choirmasters would attempt with boys.

The Boy's Voice |J. Spencer Curwen
Both her portamento di voce and her volubility were declared to be unrivaled.

Great Singers, First Series |George T. Ferris

You, who know what is meant by singing with portamento, would find rare satisfaction in her singing of it.

Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3) |Otto Jahn

portamento

/ (ˌpɔːtəˈmɛntəʊ) /

music a smooth slide from one note to another in which intervening notes are not separately discernible Compare glissando

C18: from Italian: a carrying, from Latin portāre to carry