tempo

/ˈtɛmpoʊ/

/ˈtɛmpəʊ/

Other forms: tempos; tempi

If no one is dancing at your party, you probably want to put on some music with a faster tempo — meaning a faster speed.

The word tempo came into English by way of Italian, tracing all the way back to the Latin word tempus, meaning time. It was originally used to describe the timing of music, or the speed at which a piece of music is played. For example, a soothing song would be described as a slow tempo song. Tempo is still used in this way to describe music, but you’ll also hear it used to refer to pace or speed in general, as in — "the increased tempo at the end of a close basketball game" or "the slow tempo of action in a novel."

Definitions of tempo

1. noun

   (music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
   synonyms: pacing

   types:

   accelerando

   (music) a gradually increasing tempo of music

   allegretto

   a quicker tempo than andante but not as fast as allegro

   allegro

   a brisk and lively tempo

   andante

   a moderately slow tempo (a walking pace)

   rubato

   a flexible tempo; not strictly on the beat

   type of:

   musical time

   (music) the beat of musical rhythm
2. noun

   the rate of some repeating event
   synonyms: pace

   types:

   M.M., beats per minute, bpm, metronome marking

   (music) a notation indicating how fast a piece is to be performed, standing for the number of beats per minute

   type of:

   rate

   a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit