Legato

//ləˈɡɑ.toʊ// adv, noun

adv, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A style of performance characterized by smoothly connected notes. countable, uncountable

    "It is the coördination of the finger and hand as examplified in the proportionate speed of shifting according to the speed of the musical passage, which makes for evenness, continuity, smoothness, and ultimately, a fine legato."

  2. 2
    A passage that is played legato. countable, uncountable

    "It schools the mind to watch for the legato all the time, as its absence at the organ is mor prominent than at the piano; but beyond this point it renders little assitance to the pianist."

Adjective
  1. 1
    (music) without breaks between notes; smooth and connected wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    Smoothly, in a connected manner. not-comparable

    "Play this passage legato, not portato."

Adverb
  1. 1
    connecting the notes; in music wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
a cappellaabbandonoaccrescendoadagiettoadagioaffettuoso

Example

More examples

"Play this passage legato, not portato."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian legato, past participle of legare (“to tie up, tie together, to bind”), learned borrowing from Latin ligō (“tie, bind”). Doublet of ligate.

More for "legato"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.