Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word tempo. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word tempo, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say tempo in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word tempo you have here. The definition of the word tempo will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oftempo, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
10 calls per hour isn't a bad start, but we'll need to up the tempo if we want to reach our target of selling insurance policies.
(chess) A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.
(bridge) The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.
The timing of a particular event – earlier or later than in an alternative situation (as in chess example)
(music) The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)
A small truck or cargo van with three or four wheels, commonly used for commercial transport and deliveries (particularly in Asian and African countries): a genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.
(American football) A rapid rate of play by the offense resulting from reducing the amount of time which elapses after one play ends and the next starts.
American football: rapid rate of play by the offense
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“tempo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03
Que tempo temos hoxe? ― What's the weather like today?
1433, A. Rodríguez González & J. Armas Castro (eds.), Minutario notarial de Pontevedra (1433-1435). Santiago de Compostela: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 32:
afreto de vos Juan de Bayona, marineiro, besiño da villa de Pontevedra, que sodes presente, a barcha que dizen por nome San Salvador, que Deus salve, de que vos sodes mestre, para que prasendo a Deus, carrege ẽna dita barcha tres mill çeramis de millo, medidos por la medida dereita da praça da dita villa de Pontevedra, para a costa de Biscaya, a qual dita barcha deve de ser cargada do dito millo doje ata quinse dias segintes et dende partir con a boa ventura do primeiro boo tenpo que lle Deus der et en segimento de seu biajen ata o porto de Laredo et ende pousar ancla et estar tres dias hũu en pos de outro et enton devo eu, o dito mercador de dar devisa se iremos descargar aa vila de Vermeu ou aa vila de San Sabastian
I affreigt from you, Xoán de Baiona, sailor, citizen of the town of Pontevedra, here present, the ship called San Salvador, God bless her, whose master you are, for, if God pleases, loading aboard that ship three thousand bushels of millet, as measured by the right measure of the marketplace of the aforementioned town of Pontevedra, bound for the coast of Biscay; and the aforementioned ship must be loaded with the mentioned millet from today till fifteen next days, and then to depart with good winds during the first good weather God gives, and following her journey till the harbour of Laredo, and there to cast anchor and stay for three days in a row, and then I, the aforementioned merchant, should send a message of whether we should go unload at the town of Bermeo or at the town of San Sebastian.
Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “tempo”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto V”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 64–66; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ.Le Lettere, 1994:
Elena vedi, per cui tanto reo tempo si volse, e vedi 'l grande Achille, che con amore al fine combatteo.
You see Helen, for whom so much ruthless time passed; and you see the great Achilles, who in the end fought against Love.
1475, Angelo Poliziano, “Libro Ⅰ”, in Stanze de messer Angelo Politiano cominciate per la giostra del magnifico Giuliano di Pietro de Medici, collected in Poesie Italiane by Saverio Orlando, Bologna: Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, published 1988, section 1, page 41:
sì che i gran nomi e i fatti egregi e soli fortuna o morte o tempo non involi
So that the illustrious names, and the simple, distinguished facts are not taken away by Fate, or Death, or Time
Potrei qui esporre, di fatti, in un albero genealogico, l’origine e la discendenza della mia famiglia e dimostrare come qualmente non solo ho conosciuto mio padre e mia madre, ma e gli antenati miei e le loro azioni, in un lungo decorso di tempo, non tutte veramente lodevoli.
I could indeed explain here, through a genealogic tree, the origin and descent of my family, and prove how not only I knew my father and mother, but also my ancestors and their deeds in a long stretch of time, not all of them quite honorable.
bei tempi! ― those were the days! (literally, “beautiful times!”)
1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto V”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 121–123; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ.Le Lettere, 1994:
[…] Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice ne la miseria; e ciò sa ’l tuo dottore
There's no greater sorrow than remembering a happy time in misery, and your teacher knows that
1433–1440, Leon Battista Alberti, “Libro quarto [Fourth book]”, in I libri della famiglia, page 274; collected in Cecil Grayson, editor, Leon Battista Alberti - Opere volgari, volume 1, Bari: Gius. Laterza e figli, 1960:
Erano in que’ tempi gli animi de’ dotti astronomi solliciti e pieni di varia espettazione
In those days, the souls of learned astronomers were heedful, and full of various expectations
Qual è la miglior maniera di prevenire i delitti? Le medesime pene sono elleno egualmente utili in tutti i tempi? Qual’influenza hanno esse su i costumi?
What is the best way of preventing crimes? Are the same punishments equally useful at all times? What influence do they have on the customs?
primo tempo, secondo tempo ― first part, second part (of a film)
1922, La cultura musicale, volume 1, Bologna: Stabilimento tipografico Luigi Parma, page 225:
Ritornando dunque, alla Sonata di Agostini, si tratta appunto di una sonata di contenuto musicale italiano. Il primo tempo, ch'è più organico e concreto, s'inizia con un bel tema sereno e festoso
Getting back to Agostini's sonata, it is a sonata of italian musical content. The first part, which is more organic and concrete, starts off with a nice theme, serene and festive
E’ segni in cielo, al dolce tempo avversi, fará dolci e benigni il novo sole: e la dura stagion frigida e tarda non si conoscerá, s’ella si guarda.
And the new sun will make the signs in the sky, hostile to the sweet weather, sweet and benign; and the hard, cold, late season will not recognize itself, were she to look at itself
1567, “Del provedere, eleggere, et conservare le medicine semplici, e prima dell’acque [About Providing, Choosing, and Storing Simple Medicaments, and First About the Water]”, in Ricettario fiorentino [Florentine Cookbook], page 8:
quando fusse tempo asciutto, e senza pioggia, tolgasi di quella delle cisterne ben tenute, che conservino l’acqua pura, e senza alcuna qualità estranea
Were the weather to be dry, without rain, is to be taken from well-kept tanks, maintaining the water pure, and without any foreign qualities
1605 [1304–1309], “Libro nono, Cap. ⅬⅩⅩⅩⅧ. Delle nuove colombaie, e colombi. [Ninth book, Chapter 88 - On new dovecotes, and doves]”, in Bastiano de' Rossi, transl., Trattato dell'agricoltura [Treatise on agriculture], Florence: published by Cosimo Giusti, translation of Ruralium commodorum libri Ⅻ by Pietro De' Crescenzi, page 481:
Dopo il detto tempo, s'apra loro, a tempo nuvoloso, o vero sereno; ma meglio è a tempo piovoso; imperocchè allora escono, e ritornan dentro, e non subito volano a lungi
After that time, open it for them, with either cloudy or fair weather; although rainy weather is better, because that's when they go out, to return inside, without making long flights right away
Il tempo era chiuso, l’aria pesante, il cielo velato per tutto da una nuvola o da un nebbione uguale, inerte, che pareva negare il sole, senza prometter la pioggia
The weather was suffocating, the air was oppressive, the sky completely covered by a neverending cloud, or fog, that seemed to deny the sun without promising rain
1820, Pietro Giannelli, “Lezione Ⅵ. Del tempo e del movimento. [Lesson 6 - On tempo and movement]”, in Grammatica ragionata della musica [Reasoned grammar of music], 2nd edition, Venice: Tipografia Andrea Santini e figlio, page 25:
Presto. significa un grado di movimento più celere dell'allegro. […] Oltre […] vi sono, il tempo giusto che indica un movimento moderato, nel quale le note esser devono ben marcate, ma con un grado di forza proporzionato alla diversa figura
Presto indicates a faster degree of movement than allegro. There is also tempogiusto, which indicates a moderate movement, wherein the notes are to be distinct, but with a degree of force proportional to different lengths
1526, Niccolò Liburnio, Le tre fontane, pages 112–113:
Ultimatamente concessa è licenza per la maggior parte al componitore di verso volgare in diversi tempi delli verbi lasciar à banda l’ultima lettera finiente esso verbo
Lastly, who composes vulgar verses is largely allowed, in different tenses of verbs, to leave out the last letter ending the verb
1540, Francesco Priscianese, Della lingua romana, page 177:
Et cosi vedete i tempi nel Verbo essere cinque, come di sopra si disse.
And thus you can see that the tenses of the verb are five, as said above.
1578, Breve institutione della grammatica italiana, Venice: Paolo Megietto, page 31:
B si raddoppia in queste, come dubbio, subbio, debbo, che fa deggio, subbia, scabbia, et habbia verbo che haggia si dice. Gabbia, rabbia, obietto, che altramente oggetto, et i tempi de Verbi come amarebbe, leggerebbe
The B is doubled in these , like dubbio, subbio, debbo – giving deggio – subbia, scabbia and abbia, verb that also gives aggia. Gabbia, rabbia, obietto, also oggetto, and the tenses of verbs such as amarebbe or leggerebbe
1625, Pietro Durante, “Il Verbo, ie suis”, in La grammatica italiana per imparare la lingua francese [The Italian Grammar to Learn the French Language], Rome: Francesco Corbelletti, pages 16–17:
Notate che ogni volta che voi mettete un de’ tempi del verbo sono in italiano co’l partecipio stato, in Francese s'hà da usare del tempo corrispondente del verbo havere a quel del verbo sono
Notice how every time you use one of the tenses of the verb sono with the participle stato in Italian, in French you have to use the tense of the verb avere corresponding to that of the verb sono
1744, Jacopo Angelo Nelli, “De’ tempi del verbo: quanti, e quali sieno [About the tenses of verbs: how many and which ones there are]”, in Grammatica italiana: per uso de' giovanetti [Italian Grammar: for use by young people], Torino: Stamperia Reale, page 43:
Le osservazioni state fatte sopra di ciò sono, che in ciascuno di questi modi si può fare, e soffrire l'azione in cinque tempi differenti
The remarks above say that in each of these moods, the action can be performed, or experienced, in five different tenses
2008, Sonia Coutinho, Uma certa felicidade, 7Letras, →ISBN, page 70:
Sim, o tempo passando desfoca devagar as lentes da memória, embala-nos pouco a pouco, ao sabor dos incidentes cotidianos, deixo a firma, arranjo outro emprego e outro(s) homem(ns), as cenas antigas vão perdendo seu brilho, mas ainda lembro Rodrigo.