arpeggio

See also: arpeggiò

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian arpeggio, from arpeggiare (“to play a harp”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑɹˈpɛ.d͡ʒi.oʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

arpeggio (plural arpeggios or arpeggi)

1. (music) The notes of a chord played individually instead of simultaneously, usually moving from lowest to highest.
   • 1956, Delano Ames, chapter 14, in Crime out of Mind‎^[1]:

     He struck the opening chords of the passage; but this time Irene's voice was silent. Victor stopped in the middle of an arpeggio.

Translations

notes of a chord played individually

• Afrikaans: arpeggio
• Catalan: arpegi (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 琶音 (zh) (páyīn), 琵音 (zh) (píyīn)

• Esperanto: arpeĝo
• Finnish: arpeggio (fi), murtosointu
• French: arpège (fr) m
• Galician: arpexo (gl) m
• German: Arpeggio (de) n
• Irish: airpéitse f
• Italian: arpeggio (it) m
• Japanese: 琵音 (ja) (びおん, bion), アルペッジョ (arupejjo)
• Macedonian: арпежо n (arpežo)
• Maori: rauoro
• Polish: arpeggio (pl) n
• Portuguese: arpejo (pt) m
• Russian: арпе́джио (ru) n (arpédžio), арпе́джио (ru) n (arpɛ́džio)
• Spanish: arpegio (es) m
• Turkish: arpej (tr)

See also

• broken chord

Verb

arpeggio (third-person singular simple present arpeggios, present participle arpeggioing, simple past and past participle arpeggioed)

1. (transitive) To play (a chord) as an arpeggio; to play (a piece of music) with arpeggios.

   Synonym: arpeggiate

   • 1819, Abraham Rees (ed.), The Cyclopædia, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, Volume 14, entry “Fingering on Keyed Instruments,”^[2]

     In practising quick passages, the fingers should be lifted up with a spring, and not allowed to hang on the keys, till wanted again, unless in arpeggioing chords, or in passages of expression.

   • 1872, Samuel Butler, chapter 4, in Erewhon […] ‎^[3], London: Trübner & Co., →OCLC, page 29:

     […] I could see a man with his head buried forward towards a key-board, and his body swaying from side to side amid the storm of huge arpeggioed harmonies that came crashing overhead and round.

   • 1902, Booth Tarkington, chapter 1, in The Two Vanrevels‎^[4], New York: McClure, Phillips, page 11:

     […] having finished her piano-forte practice, touched her harp twice, and arpeggioed the Spanish Fandango on her guitar, Miss Betty read two paragraphs of “Gilbert” […]

   • 1990, Marcel Montecino, Big Time‎^[5], New York: William Morrow, Book 3, p. 197:

     When his fingers touched the piano, he formed a D7 chord, arpeggioed it up the inversions, then started singing and playing the “Happy Birthday” song.

2. (intransitive) To produce arpeggios; to produce sounds resembling arpeggios.
   • 1898, Edward Noyes Westcott, chapter 37, in David Harum‎^[6], New York: Grosset & Dunlap, page 314:

     Herr Schlitz seated himself on the piano chair, pushed it a little back, drew it a little forward to the original place, looked under the piano at the pedals, took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and hands, and after arpeggioing up and down the keyboard, swung into a waltz of Chopin’s […]

   • 1909, O. Henry, “Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking”, in Roads of Destiny‎^[7], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, page 357:

     The soaring sound [of the whistling] rippled and trilled and arpeggioed as the songs of wild birds do not;

   • 2012, Roshi Fernando, “At the Barn Dance”, in Homesick‎^[8], New York: Vintage, page 166:

     The accordion player arpeggioed through a chord […]

3. (transitive, intransitive, figurative) To move (the hand or fingers) against a surface as if playing arpeggios on a keyboard; to touch different points in succession along a surface.
   • 1931, Kate O’Brien, Without My Cloak‎^[9], London: Penguin, published 1987, Book 2, Chapter 8, p. 187:

     Her hand was still arpeggioing softly on his arm.

   • 1966, Richard Lancaster, Piegan: A Look from Within at the Life, Times, and Legacy of an American Indian Tribe‎^[10], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, page 168:

     the prickle of horripilation which arpeggioed my spine as I came barrelling down the hill from that ghost house

   • 2009, Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Hidden Roads‎^[11], London: Quercus, page 136:

     While we thanked him for having us and told him the car was packed, and so on, he arpeggioed his stumpy fingers across his scarlet blanket.

Translations

to play as an arpeggio

• French: arpéger (fr)
• Italian: arpeggiare (it)
• Portuguese: arpejar
• Spanish: arpegiar (es)

Anagrams

• geropiga

Finnish

Etymology

Italian arpeggio

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑrpeɡːio/, [ˈɑ̝rpe̞ɡˌɡio̞]
• IPA^(key): /ˈɑrpedːʒio/, [ˈɑ̝rpe̞dːˌʒio̞]
• Rhymes: -io
• Syllabification^(key): ar‧peg‧gi‧o

Noun

arpeggio

1. (music) arpeggio

Declension

Inflection of arpeggio (Kotus type 3/valtio, no gradation)
nominative		arpeggio	arpeggiot
genitive		arpeggion	arpeggioiden arpeggioitten
partitive		arpeggiota	arpeggioita
illative		arpeggioon	arpeggioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		arpeggio	arpeggiot
accusative	nom.	arpeggio	arpeggiot
	gen.	arpeggion
genitive		arpeggion	arpeggioiden arpeggioitten
partitive		arpeggiota	arpeggioita
inessive		arpeggiossa	arpeggioissa
elative		arpeggiosta	arpeggioista
illative		arpeggioon	arpeggioihin
adessive		arpeggiolla	arpeggioilla
ablative		arpeggiolta	arpeggioilta
allative		arpeggiolle	arpeggioille
essive		arpeggiona	arpeggioina
translative		arpeggioksi	arpeggioiksi
abessive		arpeggiotta	arpeggioitta
instructive		—	arpeggioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of arpeggio (Kotus type 3/valtio, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative arpeggioni arpeggioni accusative nom. arpeggioni arpeggioni gen. arpeggioni genitive arpeggioni arpeggioideni arpeggioitteni partitive arpeggiotani arpeggioitani inessive arpeggiossani arpeggioissani elative arpeggiostani arpeggioistani illative arpeggiooni arpeggioihini adessive arpeggiollani arpeggioillani ablative arpeggioltani arpeggioiltani allative arpeggiolleni arpeggioilleni essive arpeggionani arpeggioinani translative arpeggiokseni arpeggioikseni abessive arpeggiottani arpeggioittani instructive — — comitative — arpeggioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative arpeggiosi arpeggiosi accusative nom. arpeggiosi arpeggiosi gen. arpeggiosi genitive arpeggiosi arpeggioidesi arpeggioittesi partitive arpeggiotasi arpeggioitasi inessive arpeggiossasi arpeggioissasi elative arpeggiostasi arpeggioistasi illative arpeggioosi arpeggioihisi adessive arpeggiollasi arpeggioillasi ablative arpeggioltasi arpeggioiltasi allative arpeggiollesi arpeggioillesi essive arpeggionasi arpeggioinasi translative arpeggioksesi arpeggioiksesi abessive arpeggiottasi arpeggioittasi instructive — — comitative — arpeggioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative arpeggiomme arpeggiomme accusative nom. arpeggiomme arpeggiomme gen. arpeggiomme genitive arpeggiomme arpeggioidemme arpeggioittemme partitive arpeggiotamme arpeggioitamme inessive arpeggiossamme arpeggioissamme elative arpeggiostamme arpeggioistamme illative arpeggioomme arpeggioihimme adessive arpeggiollamme arpeggioillamme ablative arpeggioltamme arpeggioiltamme allative arpeggiollemme arpeggioillemme essive arpeggionamme arpeggioinamme translative arpeggioksemme arpeggioiksemme abessive arpeggiottamme arpeggioittamme instructive — — comitative — arpeggioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative arpeggionne arpeggionne accusative nom. arpeggionne arpeggionne gen. arpeggionne genitive arpeggionne arpeggioidenne arpeggioittenne partitive arpeggiotanne arpeggioitanne inessive arpeggiossanne arpeggioissanne elative arpeggiostanne arpeggioistanne illative arpeggioonne arpeggioihinne adessive arpeggiollanne arpeggioillanne ablative arpeggioltanne arpeggioiltanne allative arpeggiollenne arpeggioillenne essive arpeggionanne arpeggioinanne translative arpeggioksenne arpeggioiksenne abessive arpeggiottanne arpeggioittanne instructive — — comitative — arpeggioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative arpeggionsa arpeggionsa accusative nom. arpeggionsa arpeggionsa gen. arpeggionsa genitive arpeggionsa arpeggioidensa arpeggioittensa partitive arpeggiotaan arpeggiotansa arpeggioitaan arpeggioitansa inessive arpeggiossaan arpeggiossansa arpeggioissaan arpeggioissansa elative arpeggiostaan arpeggiostansa arpeggioistaan arpeggioistansa illative arpeggioonsa arpeggioihinsa adessive arpeggiollaan arpeggiollansa arpeggioillaan arpeggioillansa ablative arpeggioltaan arpeggioltansa arpeggioiltaan arpeggioiltansa allative arpeggiolleen arpeggiollensa arpeggioilleen arpeggioillensa essive arpeggionaan arpeggionansa arpeggioinaan arpeggioinansa translative arpeggiokseen arpeggioksensa arpeggioikseen arpeggioiksensa abessive arpeggiottaan arpeggiottansa arpeggioittaan arpeggioittansa instructive — — comitative — arpeggioineen arpeggioinensa

Italian

Etymology 1

Deverbal from arpeggiare ‎ -o, from arpa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /arˈped.d͡ʒo/
• Rhymes: -eddʒo
• Hyphenation: ar‧pég‧gio

Noun

arpeggio m (plural arpeggi)

1. arpeggio

Descendants

• → English: arpeggio
• → French: arpège
  • → Persian: آرپژ (ârpež)
  • → Turkish: arpej
• → Portuguese: arpejo
• → Russian: арпе́джио (arpédžio)
  • → Kazakh: арпеджио (arpedjio)
• → Spanish: arpegio

Etymology 2

From arpeggiare ‎ -io (frequentative).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ar.pedˈd͡ʒi.o/
• Rhymes: -io
• Hyphenation: ar‧peg‧gì‧o

Noun

arpeggio m (plural arpeggii) (uncommon)

1. continuous arpeggiation

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /arˈped.d͡ʒo/
• Rhymes: -eddʒo
• Hyphenation: ar‧pég‧gio

Verb

arpeggio

1. first-person singular present indicative of arpeggiare

Anagrams

• pareggio, pareggiò, peggiora, piaggerò, poggerai, poggiare

Polish

Alternative forms

• arpedżio

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian arpeggio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /arˈpɛ.d͡ʐjɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛd͡ʐjɔ
• Syllabification: ar‧pegg‧io

Noun

arpeggio n (related adjective arpedżiowy)

1. (music) arpeggio (notes of a chord played individually instead of simultaneously, usually moving from lowest to highest)

Declension

Declension of arpeggio

	singular	plural
nominative	arpeggio	arpeggia
genitive	arpeggia	arpeggiów
dative	arpeggiu	arpeggiom
accusative	arpeggio	arpeggia
instrumental	arpeggiem	arpeggiami
locative	arpeggiu	arpeggiach
vocative	arpeggio	arpeggia

Further reading

• arpeggio in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• arpeggio in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

arpeggio m (plural arpeggios)

1. (uncommon) Alternative form of arpejo