andante

[ ahn-dahn-tey, an-dan-tee; Italian ahn-dahn-te ]

adjective

1. moderately slow and even.

noun

, plural an·dan·tes.

1. an andante movement or piece.

andante

/ ænˈdænteɪ /

adjective

1. (to be performed) at a moderately slow tempo

noun

1. a passage or piece to be performed in this manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of andante¹

1735–45; < Italian: literally, walking, present participle of andare to walk, go ( -ant ); etymology disputed, but often alleged: < Vulgar Latin *ambitare, derivative of Latin ambitus circular motion, roundabout journey ( ambit ); perhaps, alternatively, early Latin borrowing < Gaulish *andā-, akin to Latin pandere to spread (hence, stride); compare passus step, pace (action noun *pand-tu- ), equivalent to Old Irish ēs footprint, track

Word History and Origins

Origin of andante¹

C18: Italian: going, from andare to go, from Latin ambulāre to walk

Example Sentences

The third and fourth were a showcase of bustling internal mechanics — especially the andante con moto third, in which the violins seem eager to identify as woodwinds.

From Washington Post

Even so, “Mozart and Contemporaries” came off as an unbroken, unfurling, hypnotically broad, almost dreamlike silk of sound, inward-looking and wistful in both major and minor keys, in both andante and allegro.

From New York Times

Aaron Goldman’s flute and Lin Ma’s clarinet gave it a fresh polish, especially through its winding, entrancing andante.

From Washington Post

Sometimes the time signature was simple, sometimes compound, the tempo allegro or andante or presto.

From Nature

The andante—the third movement—is his favorite, he explains, because he read once that it was written to evoke the image of a castle in ruins, which he found darkly funny at the time.

From Literature