obbligati

ob·bli·ga·to

[ob-li-gah-toh; Italian awb-blee-gah-taw] adjective, noun, plural ob·bli·ga·tos, ob·bli·ga·ti [-tee] . Music.
adjective
1.
(used as a musical direction) obligatory or indispensable; so important that it cannot be omitted.
noun
2.
an obbligato part or accompaniment.
3.
a continuing or persistent subordinate or background motif.
4.
a subordinate part of a solo.
Also, obligato.


Origin:
1715–25; < Italian: bound, obliged < Latin obligātus; see obligate

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Obbligati is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
obbligato or music obligato (ˌɒblɪˈɡɑːtəʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  not to be omitted in performance
 
n , -tos, -ti
2.  an essential part in a score: with oboe obbligato
 
[C18: from Italian, from obbligare to oblige]
 
obligato or music obligato (ˌɒblɪˈɡɑːtəʊ, -tiː) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
 
n
 
[C18: from Italian, from obbligare to oblige]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

obbligato
musical instruction, 1724, from It., lit. "obligated," from L. obligatus, pp. of obligare "to bind" (see oblige).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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