stretto

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian stretto. Doublet of strait and strict.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɹɛtəʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɛtəʊ

Noun

stretto (countable and uncountable, plural strettos or stretti)

1. (music) The presence of two close or overlapping statements of the subject of a fugue, especially towards the end.
2. (music) An acceleration in the tempo of an opera that produces an ending climax.

Adverb

stretto (not comparable)

1. (music) With gradually increasing speed.

Adjective

stretto (not comparable)

1. (music) Having gradually increasing speed.
   • 1960, Thomas Pynchon, Entropy:

     So that over and above the public components – holidays, tourist attractions – there are private meanderings, linked to the climate as if this spell were a stretto passage in the year’s fugue: haphazard weather, aimless loves, unpredicted commitments…

Anagrams

• totters, stotter, Totters, tortest, rottest

Italian

Etymology

From Latin strictus, perfect passive participle of stringō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstret.to/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -etto
• Hyphenation: strét‧to

Adjective

stretto (feminine stretta, masculine plural stretti, feminine plural strette, superlative strettissimo)

1. narrow

   Antonym: largo

2. tight
3. strict
4. (linguistics) close

Derived terms

• caffè stretto (“espresso with less water”)
• stretta
• strettamente
• strettezza
• strettire
• strettoia
• strettoio

 

Noun

stretto m (plural stretti)

1. strait

Participle

stretto (feminine stretta, masculine plural stretti, feminine plural strette)

1. past participle of stringere

Related terms

• strettura
• ristretto

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian stretto.

Adverb

stretto

1. stretto