notturno

[ nuh-toor-noh, noh-; Italian nawt-toor-naw ]

noun

, Music.

, plural not·tur·ni [n, uh, -, toor, -nee, noh-, nawt-, toor, -nee].

1. an 18th-century composition for chamber orchestra, similar to a serenade or a divertimento.
2. nocturne.

Word History and Origins

Origin of notturno¹

< Italian: of the night < Latin nocturnus. See nocturn

Example Sentences

The first section, “Venezia notturno,” opens with glassy, slippery sounds that evoke Venice’s canals; the different layers assigned each player seem wholly separate until they unexpectedly converge into moments of rich, unison melody.

From New York Times

Since Borodin's poignant and stately notturno was still playing in his mind, and since he did not wish to repeat the farewell ceremony, he stood by the car while the chauffeur fiddled with the engine.

From The Guardian

It is full of the grace of a notturno, of the secret grief of hopeless love.

From Project Gutenberg