legato
1 of 2adverb or adjective
le·ga·to li-ˈgä-(ˌ)tō 
: in a manner that is smooth and connected (as between successive tones) —used especially as a direction in music
legato
2 of 2noun
: a smooth and connected manner of performance (as of music)
also : a passage of music so performed
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 6 July 2022 The velvety legato that Lisiecki lavishes on the C-sharp-minor Nocturne is impossible on Planès’s period instrument, which has a crisper, tangier sound. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022 Didion was rewarded for her legato, in-depth studies of America’s fraying culture—the opposite of the Twitter hot-takes that elevate today’s cultural observers to dubious star status. Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, 5 Jan. 2022 All the pitches are in place, laced together in a luxurious legato. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021 Horn player Alexander Kienle demonstrated a round tone and attractive legato in his solos, and principal clarinetist Gregory Raden turned in a tenderly lyrical solo. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 24 Sep. 2021 Soltani’s luscious legato tone in the short, slow introduction to the third movement was capped by an exuberant finale. Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020 Elsewhere, Kang Wollett spun out long, legato solos in the Largo by Ives, making the dark romanticism sing. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 12 July 2019 The Tanglewood reception wasn’t extravagant, even though his encore, the Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp minor, showed Lang Lang’s filigree legato at its very best. David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, 12 July 2018 See More
Noun
Staccato is syncopation and legato is like a rainbow. Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 6 July 2022 The velvety legato that Lisiecki lavishes on the C-sharp-minor Nocturne is impossible on Planès’s period instrument, which has a crisper, tangier sound. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022 Didion was rewarded for her legato, in-depth studies of America’s fraying culture—the opposite of the Twitter hot-takes that elevate today’s cultural observers to dubious star status. Lesley M.m. Blume, Town & Country, 5 Jan. 2022 All the pitches are in place, laced together in a luxurious legato. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021 Horn player Alexander Kienle demonstrated a round tone and attractive legato in his solos, and principal clarinetist Gregory Raden turned in a tenderly lyrical solo. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 24 Sep. 2021 Soltani’s luscious legato tone in the short, slow introduction to the third movement was capped by an exuberant finale. Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020 Elsewhere, Kang Wollett spun out long, legato solos in the Largo by Ives, making the dark romanticism sing. Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 12 July 2019 The Tanglewood reception wasn’t extravagant, even though his encore, the Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp minor, showed Lang Lang’s filigree legato at its very best. David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, 12 July 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Adverb or adjective
Italian, literally, tied
First Known Use
Adverb Or Adjective
1786, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1740, in the meaning defined above