Tempo Definition
tĕmpō
tempi, tempos
noun
tempos
The speed at which a musical composition is, or is supposed to be, performed: it is indicated by such notations as allegro, andante, etc. or by reference to metronome timing.
Webster's New World
Rate of activity; pace.
The tempo of modern living.
Webster's New World
(music, plural: tempi) The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)
Wiktionary
(chess, plural: tempos) A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use for him (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.
Wiktionary
(plural: tempos) Timing of a particular event - earlier or later than in an alternative situation (as in chess example)
Wiktionary
idiom
in tempo
- conforming to the speed at which a piece of music is, or should be, played
Webster's New World
out of tempo
- not in tempo
- deliberately deviating from the regular tempo; rubato
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Tempo
- in tempo
- out of tempo
Origin of Tempo
Italian from Latin tempus time
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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