[roo-bah-toh; It. roo-bah-taw] 
adjective, noun, plural -tos, -ti [-tee] , adverb Music.| 1. | having certain notes arbitrarily lengthened while others are correspondingly shortened, or vice versa. |
| 2. | a rubato phrase or passage. |
| 3. | a rubato performance. |
| 4. | in a rubato manner. |
| ru·ba·to (rōō-bä'tō) n. pl. ru·ba·tos Rhythmic flexibility within a phrase or measure; a relaxation of strict time. adj. Containing or characterized by rubato. [Italian (tempo) rubato, stolen (time), rubato, past participle of rubare, to rob, of Germanic origin; see reup- in Indo-European roots.] |
rubato
(from Italian rubare, "to rob"), in music, subtle rhythmic manipulation and nuance in performance. For greater musical expression, the performer may stretch certain beats, measures, or phrases and compact others. The technique is seldom indicated on a musical score but may be utilized according to the performer's discretion. Rubato may affect only the melody (as in jazz) or the entire musical texture
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