Meanings
nounostinato (plural ostinatos or ostinati)
plural ostinatos · plural ostinati
- entertainmentA piece of melody, a chord progression, or a bass figure that is repeated over and over as a musical accompaniment.
The piece moves in alluring spans of swirling figures, jagged lines and pointillistic outbursts, often prodded forward by ostinatos in the perky piano.
2009 January 26, Anthony Tommasini, “Pricking Up the Ears to Listen for Echoes of California”, in New York Times
Origin
- Italianostinato“stubborn”
- Englishostinato
From Italian ostinato (“stubborn”). Doublet of obstinate.
More words from Italian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan ostinato
- ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
Chinese Mandarin 固定音型, 頑固音型 /顽固音型
- 固定音型 (gùdìngyīnxíng)music: figure that is repeated over and over
- 頑固音型 /顽固音型 (wángùyīnxíng)music: figure that is repeated over and over
Esperanto ostinato
- ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
Estonian ostinato
- ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
Finnish ostinato
- ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
German Ostinato
- Ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
Russian остина́то
- остина́то (ostináto)music: figure that is repeated over and over
Spanish ostinato
- ostinatomusic: figure that is repeated over and over
Cite this entry
APA
ostinato. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostinato
MLA
“ostinato.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostinato. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ostinato,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ostinato.
Source: ostinato on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.