tempo

noun

tem·​po ˈtem-(ˌ)pō 

plural tempi ˈtem-(ˌ)pē  or tempos

1

: the rate of speed of a musical piece or passage indicated by one of a series of directions (such as largo, presto, or allegro) and often by an exact metronome marking

2

: rate of motion or activity : pace

Examples of tempo in a Sentence

The song has a slow tempo.

The composition has many changes of tempo.

We walked at a fast tempo.

The tempo of the game slowed down.

The dance starts out fast and then switches tempo.

Recent Examples on the Web

The steady tempo of Morrison’s performance is friendly as a church convocation. —Armond White, National Review, 10 Nov. 2023

As the tempo rose, a perimeter of cellphone screens formed around them. —Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023

And the tempo of the song starts out slow but then gets very fast very quickly … boom boom boom. —Barbra Streisand, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2023

However, what sets the tempo of an organism’s growth has remained a mystery. —Quanta Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023

Texas Tech runs an up tempo offense that led the country in plays last season, has a 6-foot-5 vertical threat, speedy slot receiver and 6-foot-9 tight end. —oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023

Pushing the tempo has allowed Dallas’ offense to flourish. —Doyle Rader, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

But in both cases, the aircraft went down during the kinds of joint exercises that have become more common, more intense and more complicated in recent years as the United States has stepped up its military tempo in the Indo-Pacific in an effort to deter Chinese aggression in the region. —Damien Cave, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2023

The lab’s research has prompted multiple recent patches from Apple outside its regular tempo of updates. —Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "time, rate of speed (in music)," going back to Latin tempor-, tempus "time, period of time, season," of uncertain origin

Note: If it originally meant "extent, measure" (hence, "extent of time"), Latin tempus could go back to an s-stem noun *temp-es- derived from an Indo-European verb base *temp- "stretch, extend," seen in Lithuanian tempiù, tem͂pti "to stretch, bend (a bow)," tìmpa "sinew, bowstring," Tocharian A & B cämp- "be able to" (if "stretch, exert effort" > "exert sufficient effort, be able"), and perhaps Old Norse þǫmb "womb, guts, bowstring." Though these are possibilities, the sum of comparable evidence for the etymon is not overwhelming.

First Known Use

circa 1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tempo

• a tempo
• up-tempo

• a tempo
• up-tempo

Kids Definition

tempo

noun

tem·​po ˈtem-pō 

plural tempi -pē  or tempos

1

: the rate of speed at which a musical piece or passage is to be played or sung

2

: rate of motion or activity