ritenuto
|ri-te-nu-to|
🇺🇸
/ˌriːtəˈnuːtoʊ/
🇬🇧
/ˌriːtəˈnjuːtəʊ/
held back
Etymology
'ritenuto' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'ritenuto', where the prefix 'ri-' (from Latin 're-') meant 'back/again' and the root 'tenere' meant 'to hold'.
'ritenuto' changed from the Latin verb 'retinēre' (from 're-' + 'tenēre' meaning 'to hold back') into the Italian verb 'ritenere' and its past participle 'ritenuto', and was later adopted into English musical terminology.
Initially, it meant 'held back' (in a general sense of restraining or keeping back), but over time it became specialized in musical contexts to mean 'held back' or 'suddenly slower' as a tempo direction.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a direction in a musical score indicating that the passage should be played more slowly or with restraint.
There is a brief ritenuto marked in the second bar of the adagio.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adverb 1
as a musical direction: held back; suddenly slower — instructing performers to reduce the tempo briefly or emphatically.
The conductor signaled ritenuto to shape the phrase before the chorus.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/14 07:25