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obligati

 - 4 dictionary results

ob⋅li⋅ga⋅to

  [ob-li-gah-toh]
Use obligati in a Sentence
–adjective, noun, plural -tos, -ti  [tee] .
obbligato.

ob⋅bli⋅ga⋅to

  [ob-li-gah-toh; It. awb-blee-gah-taw] adjective, noun, plural -tos, -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; < It: bound, obliged < L obligātus; see obligate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To obligati
ob·bli·ga·to also ob·li·ga·to   (ŏb'lĭ-gä'tō)   
adj.  Not to be left out; indispensable. Used of an accompaniment that is an integral part of a piece.
n.   pl. ob·bli·ga·tos also ob·li·ga·tos or ob·bli·ga·ti also ob·li·ga·ti (-tē)
An obbligato accompaniment.

[Italian, past participle of obbligare, to obligate, from Latin obligāre, to oblige; see oblige.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

obbligato 
musical instruction, 1724, from It., lit. "obligated," from L. obligatus, pp. of obligare "to bind" (see oblige).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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