ritornello (redirected from ritornellos)

ri·tor·nel·lo  (rtôr-nll)

n. pl. ri·tor·nel·li (-l) or ri·tor·nel·los

1. An instrumental interlude recurring after each stanza in a vocal work.

2. A passage or section for full orchestra in a concerto or aria.

3. An instrumental interlude in early 17th-century opera.

4. The refrain of a rondo.

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[Italian, diminutive of ritorno, return, from ritornare, to return, from Vulgar Latin *retornre; see return.]