Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

obbligato en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ɒblɪˈɡɑːtəʊ/ (UK)

Etymology

From Italian obbligato. Piecewise doublet of obliged.

Meanings

  1. An obbligato section; a prominent countermelody, often written to be played or sung above the principal theme (in a higher pitch range).
    • The noise of the traffic outside the building on the boulevard made an unmusical obbligato to my thinking. 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin, published 2010, page 281:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
obligato alternative lexicographic
obbligatos Number=Plur lexicographic
obbligati Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

descant

Translations (1)

it obbligato (obbligato section)