rondo means A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.
Why this word is great
RONDO — [Noun] A musical composition, often lively, in which a principal theme alternates with contrasting episodes. Its name spirals from Italian rondò, from French rondeau, a form of poem or dance, from Old French rondel ("small circle"), from rond ("round"). Unlike the “rondeau”—a fixed, often vocal, medieval form—or the “sonata”—a multi-movement architecture of thematic argument—the rondo is a single, circling joy, defined by the faithful return of its refrain. It is the sun-drenched chorus surfacing after a foray into shadowed minor keys; the relief of a familiar street lamp after a series of strange alleys; the playful certainty of a child running back to home base after each daring foray. In its circling logic, we hear a formal defiance of entropy, a brief, ordered belief that we can leave only to be welcomed back.
noun
- A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains.
- A small, disk-shaped piece of food, especially a single-serving dessert or small piece of candy.
- A dark-skinned grape, a hybrid of Vitis vinifera with Vitis amurensis and others.
- A game resembling keep-away, used to train soccer players: one group is tasked with completing a number of passes while the other smaller group tries to take possession of the ball.“And four years after Pep from Catalonia first clapped eyes on Phil from Stockport across a crowded rondo, here finally was the consummation.”
- A gambling game played with small balls on a table.