arietta

[ ar-ee-et-uh; Italian ah-ree-et-tah ]

noun

, Music.

, plural ar·i·et·tas, ar·i·et·te [ar-ee-, et, -, uh, ah-, r, ee-, et, -te].

1. a short aria.

arietta

/ ariˈetta; ˌærɪˈɛt; ˌærɪˈɛtə /

noun

1. a short relatively uncomplicated aria

Word History and Origins

Origin of arietta¹

1735–45; < Italian, equivalent to ari ( a ) aria + -etta -ette

Word History and Origins

Origin of arietta¹

C18: from Italian, diminutive of aria

Example Sentences

Short ariettas and ariosos keep “Serse,” a comic love story, moving along.

From New York Times

The sonata's last movement begins as a set of variations on a bewitching arietta but gradually goes out of any expected structural, harmonic, tonal or melodic bounds.

From Los Angeles Times

Her arietta, 'When a lover is poor,' was quite neatly sung.

From Project Gutenberg

This morning she was noticeably hoarse, and there was a break in the arietta.

From Project Gutenberg

The slow movement, again, consists of an arietta of two eight-measure strains—the first in C major, the second in A minor.

From Project Gutenberg