presto
UK /ˈpɹɛstəʊ/ · US /ˈpɹɛstoʊ/ adverb, interjection, noun, proper noun
Forms Prestos
- adverb (music) Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo.
- interjection Used by magicians when performing a trick; ta-da; voilà. “So I put my hand into the hat and presto! Out comes a rabbit!”
- noun (poker slang) A pair of fives as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
alakazam hocus-pocus abracadabra hey pass hey presto kazaam presto chango shablam shazam
Etymology
From Italian presto (“quickly”).
Webster’s 1913
- adverb Quickly; immediately; in haste; suddenly.
- adverb Quickly; rapidly; --a direction for a quick, lively movement or performance; quicker than allegro, or any rate of time except prestissimo.
Etymology [It. or Sp. presto quick, quickly. See Prest, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “presto”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details