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Added 9 October 2026

cantabile

noun

Latin root: cantabilis Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about cantabile at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a lyrical manner
A passage having this mark

adverb

Played in this style; singingly, lyrically

adjective

Describing a passage having this mark; singable, lyrical

Origin

Borrowed from Italian cantabile (“singable, capable being sung”), derived from cantare (“to sing”). See also Latin cantabilis (“worthy to be sung”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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