lento

adverb or adjective

len·​to ˈlen-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce lento (audio)
: at a slow tempo
—used especially as a direction in music

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from lento, adjective, slow, from Latin lentus pliant, sluggish, slow — more at lithe

First Known Use

circa 1724, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lento was circa 1724

Rhymes for lento

See All Rhymes for lento

Browse Nearby Words

Lent lily
lento
lentoid
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lento.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lento. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

lento

adverb or adjective
len·​to ˈlen-ˌtō How to pronounce lento (audio)
: in a slow manner
—used as a direction in music
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All