contrattempo

Italian

Etymology

From contra- +‎ tempo. Cognate with Piedmontese contratemp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kon.tratˈtɛm.po/
• Rhymes: -ɛmpo
• Hyphenation: con‧trat‧tèm‧po

Noun

contrattempo m (plural contrattempi)

1. hitch, setback, difficulty
2. (rare) interval (between two actions)
3. (music) backbeat

Synonyms

• (music): controtempo

Further reading

• contrattempo in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• contrattempo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana