sonata
/səˈnɑːtə/ noun, proper noun
Forms sonatas
- noun (music) A musical composition for one or a few instruments, one of which is frequently a piano, in three or four movements that vary in key and tempo.
- proper noun A female given name.
Etymology
From Italian sonata, from the feminine past participle of sonare (modern suonare), from Latin sonāre (“to make sound”). Doublet of sounded.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An extended composition for one or two instruments, consisting usually of three or four movements; as, Beethoven's sonatas for the piano, for the violin and piano, etc.
Etymology [It., fr. It. & L. sonare to sound. See Sound a noise.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sonata”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details