cavatina

noun

cav·​a·​ti·​na ˌka-və-ˈtē-nə 

ˌkä-

1

: an operatic solo simpler and briefer than an aria

2

: a songlike instrumental piece or movement

Examples of cavatina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gubanova did nicely with her cavatina despite some flatting of pitch at the lower end of her range. —John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 22 June 2018

The chorus had to stand around staring cluelessly at deeply personal outpourings of grief; almost every aria—a slow cavatina followed by a fast cabaletta—was interrupted by some startling piece of news to justify the radical change of mood. —Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 29 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, from cavata "extraction, production of sound from an instrument" (from cavare "to dig out, extract"—going back to Latin cavāre "to hollow out"— + -ata -ade) + -ina, feminine of -ino, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -īnus, suffix of appurtenance — more at excavate

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1