presto

Tempo beyond allegro

Presto was traditionally uttered by magicians at the completion of a magic trick.

People use it to suggest that something has happened suddenly, as if by magic.

music

tempo

Rate of musical performance

staccato · legato · andante · adagio · largo · pianissimo · crescendo · maestro · conductor · notation

magic

abracadabra

Spell-casting utterance

sleight · vanish · appear · transformation · wand · hat · magician · illusionist · hocus-pocus · reveal

speed

instant

Briefest unit of time

rapid · swift · flash · instantaneous · snap · blink · momentary · spontaneous · accelerated · express

Categories
Opposites
speed/tempo

prestolento

Slow tempo marking

largo · adagio · slow · grave · slowly

immediacy/magical transformation

prestogradually

In slow stages

slowly · eventually · bit by bit · incrementally · in time

Phrases
Family

prestissimo

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G