le·ga·to

[luh-gah-toh; Italian le-gah-taw]
adjective, adverb Music.
smooth and connected; without breaks between the successive tones.
Compare staccato.

Origin:
1805–15; < Italian, past participle of legare < Latin ligāre to bind

Related forms
non·le·ga·to, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
legato (lɪˈɡɑːtəʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj, —adv
1.  to be performed smoothly and connectedly
 
—n , -tos
2.  a.  a style of playing in which no perceptible gaps are left between notes
 b.  (as modifier): a legato passage
 
[C19: from Italian, literally: bound]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Legato is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

legato
1811, from It. legato, lit. "bound," pp. of legare, from L. ligare (see ligament).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He loved to teach, and he understood that the piano could make a singing, legato tone--that it did not have to sound percussive.
Mentions his superbly sculpted legato phrasing, his emotion-charged distinctive timbre, and his smoldering stage presence.
If he lacked spontaneity, he sang with suave legato and crisp diction.
What he lacked were subtlety, moments of elegant phrasing and smooth legato.
Related Words
staccato
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