legato

/ləˈɡɑ.təʊ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian legato, past participle of legare (“to tie up, tie together, to bind”), learned borrowing from Latin ligō (“tie, bind”). Doublet of ligate.

legato means smoothly, in a connected manner. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 81 out of 100.

Why this word is great

LEGATO — [Adverb] A musical direction indicating that notes are to be played or sung smoothly and connectedly, without perceptible breaks. From the Italian legato ("bound, tied together"), past participle of legare ("to tie, bind"), from the Latin ligō ("I tie, bind"). Unlike staccato, which severs sound into distinct, percussive points, or portato, which introduces a gentle, pulsing breath between tones, legato is the erasure of seam and joint. It is the unbroken sigh of a cello bow across strings, the left hand of a pianist descending a scale like mercury rolling down glass, and the seamless exhalation of a singer transforming breath into a single phrase—a fleeting, audible victory over the inherent separateness of things.

adv

Smoothly, in a connected manner.“Play this passage legato, not portato.”

noun

A style of performance characterized by smoothly connected notes.“It is the coördination of the finger and hand as examplified in the proportionate speed of shifting according to the speed of the musical passage, which makes for evenness, continuity, smoothness, and ultimately, a fine legato.”
A passage that is played legato.“It schools the mind to watch for the legato all the time, as its absence at the organ is mor prominent than at the piano; but beyond this point it renders little assitance to the pianist.”