parlando

adjective

par·lan·do pär-ˈlän-(ˌ)dō

variants or parlante

pär-ˈlän-(ˌ)tā

: delivered or performed in a style suggestive of speech

—used as a direction in music

Examples of parlando in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The result, though, on first hearing can sound like an endless flow of parlando singing, more ongoing narration than operatic musing, music confined to underscoring Shakespeare’s unbroachable phrases. —

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

parlando borrowed from Italian, gerund of parlare "to speak," going back to early Medieval Latin parabolāre; parlante borrowed from Italian, "speaking," derivative (originally present participle) of parlare — more at parley entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of parlando was circa 1854

See more words from the same year