assai

1
[ uh-sahy; Italian ahs-sah-ee ]

adverbMusic.
  1. very: allegro assai (very quick).

Origin of assai

1
First recorded in 1715–25; from Italian: literally, “enough,”ultimately from Latin ad “(up) to” + satis “enough.” See asset

Words Nearby assai

Other definitions for assai (2 of 2)

assai2
[ uh-sah-ee ]

noun
  1. any of several slender Brazilian palms of the genus Euterpe, especially E. edulis, a species bearing a purple fruit from which a beverage is made by infusion.

Origin of assai

2
1895–1900; <Portuguese <Tupi assaí

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use assai in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assai (1 of 2)

assai1

/ (æˈsaɪ) /


adverb
  1. music (usually preceded by a musical direction) very: allegro assai

Origin of assai

1
Italian: enough

British Dictionary definitions for assai (2 of 2)

assai2

/ (æˈsaɪ) /


noun
  1. any of several Brazilian palm trees of the genus Euterpe, esp E. edulis, that have small dark purple fleshy edible fruit

  2. a beverage made from the fruit of this tree

Origin of assai

2
via Brazilian Portuguese from Tupi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012