'andante' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'andante', where 'andare' meant 'to go' or 'to walk'.

'andante' was adopted into English from Italian musical terminology in the 18th century, and its plural form 'andantes' follows standard English pluralization.

Initially, it meant 'going' or 'walking', but in music, it evolved to mean 'a moderately slow tempo', and 'andantes' refers to multiple such pieces or passages.