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

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