US /ˈtɛm.poʊ/ UK /ˈtɛm.pəʊ/
noun Freq #14040

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    in music, the speed at which a composition is to be played

    The tempo is 120 beats per minute for this piece.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · in music, the speed at... pacing
Word family
Forms tempitempos
Related forms high-tempotemporaltempestuousatemporaltempest

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tempo, from Latin tempus (“time”). Doublet of tense. (truck or cargo van): A genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.

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Topics

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