legato

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian legato, past participle of legare (“to tie up, tie together, to bind”), learned borrowing from Latin ligō (“tie, bind”). Doublet of ligate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: lə-gäʹtō, IPA^(key): /ləˈɡɑ.təʊ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) enPR: lə-gäʹtō, IPA^(key): /ləˈɡɑ.toʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɑːtəʊ
• Hyphenation: le‧ga‧to

Adverb

legato (not comparable)

1. (music) Smoothly, in a connected manner.

   Antonyms: portato, staccato

   Play this passage legato, not portato.

Related terms

• legatissimo

Translations

Noun

legato (countable and uncountable, plural legatos)

1. (music) A style of performance characterized by smoothly connected notes.
   • 1936, Edward E. Cramer, The Basis of Artistry in Violin Playing, page 49:

     It is the coördination of the finger and hand as examplified in the proportionate speed of shifting according to the speed of the musical passage, which makes for evenness, continuity, smoothness, and ultimately, a fine legato.

   • 1979, Leslie Sheppard, Herbert R. Axelrod ·, Paganini, page 604:

     At the end of the prelude of Caprice V, there is a chromatic ascending and descending scale of forty-eight notes to be played in one bow in legato.

   • 1989, Siglind Bruhn, Guidelines to Piano Interpretation, page 97:

     Clementi, in his "Introduction to the art of playing the piano-forte" (1801) still had to advise pianists that : "the best general rule is to keep the keys of the instrument suppressed during the whole length of the note" (p.8) and "whenver the composer leaves the legato or staccato to the taste of the performer, the best rule is to use the legato in most cases and to reserve the staccato in order to give particular passages more spirit and to enhance the higher beauties of the legato."

2. (music) A passage that is played legato.
   • 1893, The Organ: Monthly Journal Devoted to the King of Instruments, page 198:

     It schools the mind to watch for the legato all the time, as its absence at the organ is mor prominent than at the piano; but beyond this point it renders little assitance to the pianist.

   • 1958, József Gát, The Technique of Piano Playing, page 95:

     A good pianist, however, will make his audience believe that he is as capable of performing a legato as is a singer or violinist.

   • 2000, Chroma Report, page 15:

     Legatos are indicated in both notations by a bow between respective notes.

Translations

Anagrams

• Goleta, gelato

Esperanto

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

legato (accusative singular legaton, plural legatoj, accusative plural legatojn)

1. singular present nominal passive participle of legi

Etymology 2

From Latin legatus.

Noun

legato (accusative singular legaton, plural legatoj, accusative plural legatojn)

1. (Catholicism) legate

Etymology 3

From Italian legato.

Noun

legato (uncountable, accusative legaton)

1. (music) legato

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian legato.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə.ɡa.to/

Noun

legato m (plural legatos)

1. (music) legato

Further reading

• “legato”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leˈɡa.to/
• Rhymes: -ato
• Hyphenation: le‧gà‧to

Etymology 1

From legare.

Adjective

legato (feminine legata, masculine plural legati, feminine plural legate, superlative legatissimo)

1. awkward, stiff
2. linked, connected, tied
3. close, attached, involved

Participle

legato (feminine legata, masculine plural legati, feminine plural legate)

1. past participle of legare

Further reading

• legato¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Etymology 2

From Latin lēgātus.

Noun

legato m (plural legati)

1. legate
2. legacy, bequest, background

Derived terms

• legato pontificio
• prelegato

Further reading

• legato² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• gelato, tegola, togale

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /leːˈɡaː.toː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /leˈɡa.to/,

Noun

lēgātō m

1. dative/ablative singular of lēgātus

Participle

lēgātō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of lēgātus

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

legato

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian legato.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛˈɡa.tɔ/
• Rhymes: -atɔ
• Syllabification: le‧ga‧to

Noun

legato n (indeclinable, related adjective legatowy)

1. (music) legato (style of performance characterized by smoothly connected notes)

   Antonym: staccato

2. (figurative, literary) legato (any sound resembling a musical legato)

Declension

or

Indeclinable

Adjective

legato (not comparable, no derived adverb)

1. (music) legato (describing a passage having this mark)

   Antonym: staccato

Adverb

legato (not comparable)

1. (music) legato (played in this style)

   Antonym: staccato

Further reading

• legato I in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• legato II in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• legato in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• legato in PWN's encyclopedia

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian legato.

Adverb

legato

1. legato

Swedish

Adverb

legato (not comparable)

1. (music) legato

Noun

legato n

1. (music) legato (in a connected manner)
2. (music) legato (legato passage)

Declension

Antonyms

• staccato

References

• legato in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• legato in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• legato in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)