andante

Where does the word "andante" come from? It comes from Italian andante, and was adopted directly into English (1740s).

Andante’s story begins in Italian: andante meant “walking, going.” Literally walking, from andare (to go), describing a moderate walking pace. It reached English by 1740s as andante. Italian 'walking', the present participle of 'andare', to go. Today, andante means a moderately slow musical tempo, at a walking pace.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · 1700s andante "walking, going", literally walking, from andare (to go), describing a moderate walking pace.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1740s andante "a moderately slow musical tempo", Italian 'walking', the present participle of 'andare', to go.