andante

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Italian andantebor.

English andante

Borrowed from Italian andante.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ænˈdæn.ti/, /ænˈdæn.teɪ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑnˈdɑn(ˌ)teɪ/, /ænˈdæn.ti/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ænti, -ænteɪ, -ɑːnteɪ
• Hyphenation: an‧dan‧te

Noun

andante (plural andantes)

1. (music) A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than moderato.
   • 2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, page 198:

     The music’s marking is andante, a delicate footfall.

2. (music) A passage having this mark.

Derived terms

• andante moderato

Translations

passage played in a moderately slow tempo

• Finnish: andante (fi)
• Greek: αντάντε (el) n (antánte)
• Portuguese: andante (pt) m

Adverb

andante (not comparable)

1. (music) Played at a moderately slow tempo.

Adjective

andante (not comparable)

1. (music) Describing a passage having this mark.

Anagrams

• Dantean

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian andante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑndɑnt(ː)e/, [ˈɑ̝ndɑ̝n̪t̪(ː)e̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑndɑnte
• Syllabification^(key): an‧dan‧te
• Hyphenation^(key): an‧dan‧te

Noun

andante

1. (music) andante

Declension

Rarely declined.

Inflection of andante (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		andante	andantet
genitive		andanten	andantejen
partitive		andantea	andanteja
illative		andanteen	andanteihin
		singular	plural
nominative		andante	andantet
accusative	nom.	andante	andantet
	gen.	andanten
genitive		andanten	andantejen andantein rare
partitive		andantea	andanteja
inessive		andantessa	andanteissa
elative		andantesta	andanteista
illative		andanteen	andanteihin
adessive		andantella	andanteilla
ablative		andantelta	andanteilta
allative		andantelle	andanteille
essive		andantena	andanteina
translative		andanteksi	andanteiksi
abessive		andantetta	andanteitta
instructive		—	andantein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of andante (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative andanteni andanteni accusative nom. andanteni andanteni gen. andanteni genitive andanteni andantejeni andanteini rare partitive andanteani andantejani inessive andantessani andanteissani elative andantestani andanteistani illative andanteeni andanteihini adessive andantellani andanteillani ablative andanteltani andanteiltani allative andantelleni andanteilleni essive andantenani andanteinani translative andantekseni andanteikseni abessive andantettani andanteittani instructive — — comitative — andanteineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative andantesi andantesi accusative nom. andantesi andantesi gen. andantesi genitive andantesi andantejesi andanteisi rare partitive andanteasi andantejasi inessive andantessasi andanteissasi elative andantestasi andanteistasi illative andanteesi andanteihisi adessive andantellasi andanteillasi ablative andanteltasi andanteiltasi allative andantellesi andanteillesi essive andantenasi andanteinasi translative andanteksesi andanteiksesi abessive andantettasi andanteittasi instructive — — comitative — andanteinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative andantemme andantemme accusative nom. andantemme andantemme gen. andantemme genitive andantemme andantejemme andanteimme rare partitive andanteamme andantejamme inessive andantessamme andanteissamme elative andantestamme andanteistamme illative andanteemme andanteihimme adessive andantellamme andanteillamme ablative andanteltamme andanteiltamme allative andantellemme andanteillemme essive andantenamme andanteinamme translative andanteksemme andanteiksemme abessive andantettamme andanteittamme instructive — — comitative — andanteinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative andantenne andantenne accusative nom. andantenne andantenne gen. andantenne genitive andantenne andantejenne andanteinne rare partitive andanteanne andantejanne inessive andantessanne andanteissanne elative andantestanne andanteistanne illative andanteenne andanteihinne adessive andantellanne andanteillanne ablative andanteltanne andanteiltanne allative andantellenne andanteillenne essive andantenanne andanteinanne translative andanteksenne andanteiksenne abessive andantettanne andanteittanne instructive — — comitative — andanteinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative andantensa andantensa accusative nom. andantensa andantensa gen. andantensa genitive andantensa andantejensa andanteinsa rare partitive andanteaan andanteansa andantejaan andantejansa inessive andantessaan andantessansa andanteissaan andanteissansa elative andantestaan andantestansa andanteistaan andanteistansa illative andanteensa andanteihinsa adessive andantellaan andantellansa andanteillaan andanteillansa ablative andanteltaan andanteltansa andanteiltaan andanteiltansa allative andantelleen andantellensa andanteilleen andanteillensa essive andantenaan andantenansa andanteinaan andanteinansa translative andantekseen andanteksensa andanteikseen andanteiksensa abessive andantettaan andantettansa andanteittaan andanteittansa instructive — — comitative — andanteineen andanteinensa

Further reading

• “andante”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian andante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.dɑ̃t/, /an.dan.te/

• Audio (France (Vosges)); /ɑ̃.dɑ̃t/:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)); /an.dan.te/:

  (file)

• Homophone: andantes

Adverb

andante

1. (music) andante

Noun

andante m (plural andantes)

1. (music) andante

Further reading

• “andante”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

Present participle of andare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /anˈdan.te/
• Rhymes: -ante
• Hyphenation: an‧dàn‧te

Adjective

andante m or f by sense (plural andanti, diminutive andantino)

1. going, walking
2. current (month)
3. continuous, unbroken
4. ordinary, of little value
5. agile

Derived terms

• andantemente

Noun

andante m (plural andanti) (music)

1. (music) andante

Descendants

• → English: andante
• → Finnish: andante
• → French: andante
• → Greek: αντάντε (antánte)
• → Portuguese: andante
• → Romanian: andante
• → Spanish: andante

Adverb

andante (music)

1. andante

   Alternative forms: and.e, ad.e

Participle

andante m or f by sense (plural andanti)

1. present participle of andare

Further reading

• andante in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• dannate

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɐ̃ˈdɐ̃.t͡ʃi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɐ̃ˈdɐ̃.t͡ʃi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɐ̃ˈdɐ̃.te/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ̃ˈdɐ̃.tɨ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɐ̃tʃi, (Portugal) -ɐ̃tɨ
• Hyphenation: an‧dan‧te

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese andante, from andar (“to walk”) + -ante.

Adjective

andante m or f (plural andantes)

1. who roams, wanders

   Synonyms: erradio, errante, itinerante, vagabundo, vagamundo, vagante

   Cavaleiro andante. ― Knight-errant.

Related terms

• andada
• andador
• andamento
• andança
• andar
• andarilhar
• andarilho

Noun

andante m or f by sense (plural andantes)

1. roamer (one who roams)

   Synonyms: itinerante, vagabundo

See also

• ambulante

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian andante (“going”).

Noun

andante m (plural andantes)

1. (music) andante (passage to be played in a moderately slow tempo)

Adjective

andante m or f (plural andantes)

1. (music) andante (played in a moderately slow tempo)

   Coordinate terms: adágio, alegro

Related terms

• andantino

Further reading

• “andante”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “andante”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian andante.

Adverb

andante

1. andante

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /anˈdante/ [ãn̪ˈd̪ãn̪.t̪e]
• Rhymes: -ante
• Syllabification: an‧dan‧te

Etymology 1

From andar (“to walk”) +‎ -ante.

Adjective

andante m or f (masculine and feminine plural andantes)

1. walking, who roams, who wanders, errant

   Caballero andante. ― Knight-errant.

Derived terms

• caballero andante

Noun

andante m or f by sense (plural andantes)

1. roamer (one who roams)

Related terms

• andar

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian andante (“going”).

Noun

andante m (plural andantes)

1. (music) a tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
2. (music) a passage having this mark

Adjective

andante m or f (masculine and feminine plural andantes)

1. (music) played in a moderately slow tempo

Adverb

andante

1. (music) with a moderately slow tempo

Further reading

• “andante”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish andante, from Italian andante (“going; walking”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔanˈdante/ [ʔɐn̪ˈd̪an̪.t̪ɛ]
• Rhymes: -ante
• Syllabification: an‧dan‧te

Noun

andante (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜈ᜔ᜇᜈ᜔ᜆᜒ) (music)

1. andante (moderately slow tempo)

Related terms

• andaderas
• andador
• andamyo
• andana
• andantino
• andar

Further reading

• “andante”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972), Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 34