legato C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /lɪˈɡɑtoʊ/ UK /lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj in a smooth, connected manner, with notes flowing into one another The cellist played the phrase legato, without any audible breaks. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · in a smooth, connected... smoothconnectedflowingbound ↔ Opposites staccatodetached Word family Related forms ligatureligamentleague Etymology AI details From Italian legato ('bound, tied'), past participle of legare ('to bind'), from Latin ligāre ('to bind, tie'). legato Italian ligāre Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Music Theory External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # legato **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /lɪˈɡɑtoʊ/ **IPA (UK):** /lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ/ ## Meanings 1. in a smooth, connected manner, with notes flowing into one another ## Examples - The cellist played the phrase legato, without any audible breaks. ## Synonyms - smooth - connected - flowing - bound ## Antonyms - staccato - detached ## Related Forms - ligature - ligament - league ## Roots and Affixes - Root: legato - Root: ligāre ## Etymology From Italian legato ('bound, tied'), past participle of legare ('to bind'), from Latin ligāre ('to bind, tie'). ## AI Etymology Legato comes from Italian legato ('bound, tied'), past participle of legare ('to bind'), from Latin ligāre ('to bind, tie'). The etymological trail includes Italian legato, Latin ligāre. The same word family includes ligature, ligament, league. Its current adjective use means "in a smooth, connected manner, with notes flowing into one another". ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Music Theory markdown