ostinato Hear it!

ostinato definition

os·ti·nato (äs′tə nät′ō; It ō̂s′tē nä′tō̂)

noun pl. ostinatos -·tos′ (-ōz′; It, -tō̂s)

Music a short melodic phrase persistently repeated by the same voice or instrument and at the same pitch

Etymology: It, lit., obstinate

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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