adagio
1 of 2adverb or adjective
ada·gio ə-ˈdä-j(ē-ˌ)ō 
ä-,
-zh(ē-ˌ)ō
: at a slow tempo —used chiefly as a direction in music
adagio
2 of 2noun
plural adagios
1
: a musical composition or movement in adagio tempo
2
: a ballet duet by a man and woman or a mixed trio displaying difficult feats of balance, lifting, or spinning
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020 But in the sublime, time-stopping Poco adagio, the gentle purr of the organ beneath the orchestra sounds one-dimensional. Barbara Jepson, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2018 And extreme contrasts - the fourth movement has rapidly, repeatedly alternating speeds, adagio to presto - were narrowed, giving little shock. Alan Artner, chicagotribune.com, 30 June 2018 Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022 The adagio begins with muted warmth in the strings, which Reinhardt used to highlight the winds’ unity of timbre and intonation. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2022 And while Cox and Grimaud were in sync for most of the movement, their dynamics diverged toward the adagio’s end — both landing at slightly different angles. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 The adagio movement had a lovely softness and fine balance between strings and woodwinds; and the third movement was kept light, lithe and lucid. Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022 The work is a showcase for the first violinist, and Edward Dusinberre’s virtuosity was notable from the start, particularly in the adagio where his cascading melodies were elegantly executed with the lightest of touch. Jonathan Nussman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2021 The ascending trills in the cadenza of the adagio of the Brahms first piano concerto, each joined by the next and then prolonged with a touch of the pedal—just a little, nothing showy—had a resonance like the shimmering of the universe. The Economist, 15 Aug. 2020 The outer movements are nervy and restless, never settling, set against a still, melancholy adagio. E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020 That’s how Beethoven said he was inspired to write the Molto adagio movement of Op. Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2020 See More
Adverb or adjective
Next comes adagio work, or slower sustained movements and balances, without the aid of a barre. New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020 But in the sublime, time-stopping Poco adagio, the gentle purr of the organ beneath the orchestra sounds one-dimensional. Barbara Jepson, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2018 And extreme contrasts - the fourth movement has rapidly, repeatedly alternating speeds, adagio to presto - were narrowed, giving little shock. Alan Artner, chicagotribune.com, 30 June 2018 Noun
Set to Schubert’s romantic string adagio from the Quintet in C, Requiem for a Rose examines both the ephemeral nature of romance and the enduring devotion of love. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022 The adagio begins with muted warmth in the strings, which Reinhardt used to highlight the winds’ unity of timbre and intonation. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2022 And while Cox and Grimaud were in sync for most of the movement, their dynamics diverged toward the adagio’s end — both landing at slightly different angles. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 The adagio movement had a lovely softness and fine balance between strings and woodwinds; and the third movement was kept light, lithe and lucid. Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2022 The work is a showcase for the first violinist, and Edward Dusinberre’s virtuosity was notable from the start, particularly in the adagio where his cascading melodies were elegantly executed with the lightest of touch. Jonathan Nussman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2021 The ascending trills in the cadenza of the adagio of the Brahms first piano concerto, each joined by the next and then prolonged with a touch of the pedal—just a little, nothing showy—had a resonance like the shimmering of the universe. The Economist, 15 Aug. 2020 The outer movements are nervy and restless, never settling, set against a still, melancholy adagio. E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020 That’s how Beethoven said he was inspired to write the Molto adagio movement of Op. Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Adverb or adjective
borrowed from Italian, from the phrase ad agio, literally, "at ease," from ad, a "to, at" (going back to Latin ad) + agio "ease, convenience," borrowed from Old French aise, eise — more at at entry 1, ease entry 1
Noun
borrowed from Italian, derivative of adagio adagio entry 1
First Known Use
Adverb Or Adjective
1680, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1