ritornello

R1I1T1O1R1N1E1L1L1O1

noun

A recurring tutti passage in Baroque music for orchestra or chorus.

OriginItalian ritornello →
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Meanings

nounritornello (plural ritornellos or ritornelli)

plural ritornellos · plural ritornelli · alternative ritornel · alternative ritornell · alternative ritornelle

  1. entertainmentA recurring tutti passage in Baroque music for orchestra or chorus.

Origin

  1. Italianritornello
  2. Englishritornello

Italian ritornello, diminutive of ritorno (“return”), from ritornare (“to return”): compare French ritournelle.

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ritornello. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritornello

MLA

“ritornello.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritornello. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ritornello,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ritornello.

Source: ritornello on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.