tempo1

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛmpəʊ/

noun (plural tempos or tempi /-piː/)

  • 1 Music the speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.
  • 2the rate or speed of motion or activity; pace: the tempo of life dictated by a heavy workload

Origin:

mid 17th century (as a fencing term denoting the timing of an attack): from Italian, from Latin tempus 'time'