ostinato

English

WOTD – 16 November 2011

Etymology

From Italian ostinato (“stubborn”). Doublet of obstinate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɒstɪˈnɑtoʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

ostinato (plural ostinatos or ostinati)

1. (music) A piece of melody, a chord progression, or a bass figure that is repeated over and over as a musical accompaniment.
   • 2009 January 26, Anthony Tommasini, “Pricking Up the Ears to Listen for Echoes of California”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     The piece moves in alluring spans of swirling figures, jagged lines and pointillistic outbursts, often prodded forward by ostinatos in the perky piano.

Related terms

• basso ostinato

 

Translations

music: figure that is repeated over and over

• Catalan: ostinato m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 固定音型 (gùdìngyīnxíng), 頑固音型 / 顽固音型 (wángùyīnxíng)

• Esperanto: ostinato (eo)
• Estonian: ostinato (et)
• Finnish: ostinato (fi)
• German: Ostinato (de) m or n
• Macedonian: остина́то n (ostináto)
• Russian: остина́то (ru) n (ostináto)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: остина̑то

  Roman: ostinȃto (sh)

• Spanish: ostinato m

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ostinato, from Latin obstinātus (“firmly set, fixed”). Doublet of obstina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ostiˈnato]
• Rhymes: -ato
• Hyphenation: os‧ti‧na‧to

Noun

ostinato (accusative singular ostinaton, plural ostinatoj, accusative plural ostinatojn)

1. (music) ostinato (melody or chord progression repeated in a piece of music)

Related terms

• ripetfrazo (“riff”)

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ostinato.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈostinɑto/, [ˈo̞s̠tiˌnɑ̝t̪o̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑto
• Hyphenation^(key): os‧ti‧na‧to

Noun

ostinato

1. (music) ostinato

Declension

Inflection of ostinato (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		ostinato	ostinatot
genitive		ostinaton	ostinatojen
partitive		ostinatoa	ostinatoja
illative		ostinatoon	ostinatoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ostinato	ostinatot
accusative	nom.	ostinato	ostinatot
	gen.	ostinaton
genitive		ostinaton	ostinatojen
partitive		ostinatoa	ostinatoja
inessive		ostinatossa	ostinatoissa
elative		ostinatosta	ostinatoista
illative		ostinatoon	ostinatoihin
adessive		ostinatolla	ostinatoilla
ablative		ostinatolta	ostinatoilta
allative		ostinatolle	ostinatoille
essive		ostinatona	ostinatoina
translative		ostinatoksi	ostinatoiksi
abessive		ostinatotta	ostinatoitta
instructive		—	ostinatoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ostinato (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ostinatoni ostinatoni accusative nom. ostinatoni ostinatoni gen. ostinatoni genitive ostinatoni ostinatojeni partitive ostinatoani ostinatojani inessive ostinatossani ostinatoissani elative ostinatostani ostinatoistani illative ostinatooni ostinatoihini adessive ostinatollani ostinatoillani ablative ostinatoltani ostinatoiltani allative ostinatolleni ostinatoilleni essive ostinatonani ostinatoinani translative ostinatokseni ostinatoikseni abessive ostinatottani ostinatoittani instructive — — comitative — ostinatoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ostinatosi ostinatosi accusative nom. ostinatosi ostinatosi gen. ostinatosi genitive ostinatosi ostinatojesi partitive ostinatoasi ostinatojasi inessive ostinatossasi ostinatoissasi elative ostinatostasi ostinatoistasi illative ostinatoosi ostinatoihisi adessive ostinatollasi ostinatoillasi ablative ostinatoltasi ostinatoiltasi allative ostinatollesi ostinatoillesi essive ostinatonasi ostinatoinasi translative ostinatoksesi ostinatoiksesi abessive ostinatottasi ostinatoittasi instructive — — comitative — ostinatoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ostinatomme ostinatomme accusative nom. ostinatomme ostinatomme gen. ostinatomme genitive ostinatomme ostinatojemme partitive ostinatoamme ostinatojamme inessive ostinatossamme ostinatoissamme elative ostinatostamme ostinatoistamme illative ostinatoomme ostinatoihimme adessive ostinatollamme ostinatoillamme ablative ostinatoltamme ostinatoiltamme allative ostinatollemme ostinatoillemme essive ostinatonamme ostinatoinamme translative ostinatoksemme ostinatoiksemme abessive ostinatottamme ostinatoittamme instructive — — comitative — ostinatoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ostinatonne ostinatonne accusative nom. ostinatonne ostinatonne gen. ostinatonne genitive ostinatonne ostinatojenne partitive ostinatoanne ostinatojanne inessive ostinatossanne ostinatoissanne elative ostinatostanne ostinatoistanne illative ostinatoonne ostinatoihinne adessive ostinatollanne ostinatoillanne ablative ostinatoltanne ostinatoiltanne allative ostinatollenne ostinatoillenne essive ostinatonanne ostinatoinanne translative ostinatoksenne ostinatoiksenne abessive ostinatottanne ostinatoittanne instructive — — comitative — ostinatoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative ostinatonsa ostinatonsa accusative nom. ostinatonsa ostinatonsa gen. ostinatonsa genitive ostinatonsa ostinatojensa partitive ostinatoaan ostinatoansa ostinatojaan ostinatojansa inessive ostinatossaan ostinatossansa ostinatoissaan ostinatoissansa elative ostinatostaan ostinatostansa ostinatoistaan ostinatoistansa illative ostinatoonsa ostinatoihinsa adessive ostinatollaan ostinatollansa ostinatoillaan ostinatoillansa ablative ostinatoltaan ostinatoltansa ostinatoiltaan ostinatoiltansa allative ostinatolleen ostinatollensa ostinatoilleen ostinatoillensa essive ostinatonaan ostinatonansa ostinatoinaan ostinatoinansa translative ostinatokseen ostinatoksensa ostinatoikseen ostinatoiksensa abessive ostinatottaan ostinatottansa ostinatoittaan ostinatoittansa instructive — — comitative — ostinatoineen ostinatoinensa

Anagrams

• soitanto, taistoon

French

Noun

ostinato m (plural ostinatos)

1. ostinato

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o.stiˈna.to/
• Rhymes: -ato
• Hyphenation: o‧sti‧nà‧to

Etymology 1

From Latin obstinātus.

Adjective

ostinato (feminine ostinata, masculine plural ostinati, feminine plural ostinate, superlative ostinatissimo)

1. stubborn, obstinate

Related terms

• ostinatamente
• ostinatezza
• ostinazione

 

Noun

ostinato m (plural ostinati, feminine ostinata)

1. a stubborn or obstinate person

Etymology 2

Participle

ostinato (feminine ostinata, masculine plural ostinati, feminine plural ostinate)

1. past participle of ostinarsi

Further reading

• ostinato in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• asintoto

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian ostinato.

Adverb

ostinato

1. ostinato

Noun

ostinato n (uncountable)

1. ostinato

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	ostinato	ostinatoul
genitive-dative	ostinato	ostinatoului
vocative	ostinatoule

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ostinato. Doublet of obstinado.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ostiˈnato/ [os.t̪iˈna.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -ato
• Syllabification: os‧ti‧na‧to

Noun

ostinato m (plural ostinatos)

1. ostinato

Further reading

• “ostinato”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10