Adjacent Words

Presto definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PRES'TO, adv. [L. proesto.]
1. In music, a direction for a quick lively movement or performance.
2. Quickly; immediately; in haste.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (of tempo) very fast adv
1: suddenly; "Presto! begone! 'tis here again"- Swift
2: at a very fast tempo (faster than allegro)

Merriam Webster's

I. interjection Etymology: Italian, quick, quickly, from Latin praestus ready, from praesto adverb, on hand; akin to Latin prae before — more at for Date: circa 1599 — used to indicate the sudden appearance or occurrence of something often as if by magic II. adverb or adjective Date: 1644 1. suddenly as if by magic ; immediately 2. at a rapid tempo — used as a direction in music III. noun (plural prestos) Date: 1801 a presto musical passage or movement

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adv. & n. --adv. 1 Mus. in quick tempo. 2 (in a conjuror's formula in performing a trick) quickly (hey presto!). --n. (pl. -os) Mus. a movement to be played in a quick tempo. Etymology: It. f. LL praestus f. L praesto ready

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Presto Pres"to, adv. [It. or Sp. presto quick, quickly. See Prest, a.] 1. Quickly; immediately; in haste; suddenly. Presto! begone! 'tis here again. --Swift. 2. (Mus.) Quickly; rapidly; -- a direction for a quick, lively movement or performance; quicker than allegro, or any rate of time except prestissimo.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. Quickly, in haste, immediately, suddenly.

Moby Thesaurus

accelerando, adagietto, adagio, affrettando, allegretto, allegro, andante, andante tempo, andantino, beat, compound time, con anima, con brio, crescendo, decrescendo, desto, diminuendo, duple time, expeditiously, flat-out, forte, fortissimo, full tilt, hastily, immediate, instant, instantaneous, larghetto, larghissimo, largo, legato, lickety-split, lightning-like, marcando, march tempo, mixed times, moderato, momentaneous, momentary, pianissimo, piano, pizzicato, posthaste, prestissimo, quick as lightning, quick as thought, quickly, rag, ragtime, rallentando, rapidly, ritardando, ritenuto, rubato, scherzando, scherzo, sextuple time, simple time, spiccato, staccato, stretto, syncopation, syncope, tempo, tempo rubato, three-quarter time, time, time pattern, timing, triple time, triplet, two-four time, veloce, vivace, vivacissimo, waltz time