concerto

noun kohn-SEHR-toh Rare

Origin: From Italian 'concerto' (agreement, concert).

Usage Note

Concerto is borrowed directly from Italian and is used in French in the same musical sense: a composition for solo instrument and orchestra. It is invariable in the singular; the plural in French is concertos (not 'concerti', which would be the Italian plural). A famous example often cited is Le concerto pour piano de Ravel.

Examples

"Elle joue le concerto pour violon ce soir."

Natural Translation

She is playing the violin concerto tonight.

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