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ritenuto

American  
[ree-tuh-noo-toh, ree-te-noo-taw] / ˌri təˈnu toʊ, ˌri tɛˈnu tɔ /

adverb

  1. (of a passage in a musical score) immediately slower.

ritenuto British  
/ ˌrɪtəˈnuːtəʊ /

adjective

  1. held back momentarily

  2. another term for rallentando

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ritenuto

1820–30; < Italian: literally, held back, past participle of ritenere; retain

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.