tenuto

[ tuh-noo-toh; Italian te-noo-taw ]
/ təˈnu toʊ; Italian tɛˈnu tɔ /

adjective

Music. (of a note, chord, or rest) held to the full time value.

Origin of tenuto

1890–95; < Italian: held (past participle of tenere) < Vulgar Latin *tenūtus, for Latin tentus

Words nearby tenuto

tenuity, tenuous, tenure, tenure-track, tenured, tenuto, tenzing, tenzing norgay, teocalli, teosinte, teotihuacán

Example sentences from the Web for tenuto

  • His tone is all through his nose, and his tenuto is like the tremulant stop on the organ.

    Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3) |Otto Jahn

  • Tenuto—(from teneo, to hold)—a direction signifying that the tones are to be prolonged to the full value indicated by the notes.

    Music Notation and Terminology |Karl W. Gehrkens

British Dictionary definitions for tenuto

tenuto
/ (tɪˈnjuːtəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

music (of a note) to be held for or beyond its full time value Symbol: (written above a note) ¯

Word Origin for tenuto

from Italian, literally: held, from tenere to hold, from Latin tenēre