Italian 'ad agio' (at ease) — in music, the slow tempo that produces some of the most profound movements.
A tempo marking indicating a slow, leisurely pace; a movement or composition played at such a tempo.
From Italian 'adagio' (at ease, slowly), a compound of the prefix 'ad-' (at, to, toward) and 'agio' (ease, comfort, leisure). The word 'agio' likely derives from Old Provençal 'aize' (ease, comfort), which in turn may come from Vulgar Latin *adjacēns (adjacent, lying near) or possibly from a Germanic source. In music, 'adagio' indicates a tempo slower than andante but faster than largo — roughly 66–76 BPM. As a noun, it refers to a slow movement, particularly the contemplative slow movement of a sonata, symphony, or concerto. Key roots: ad- (Italian (from Latin): "at, to, toward"), agio (Italian: "ease, comfort, convenience").
The financial term 'agio' — meaning the premium charged for exchanging one currency for another — comes from the same Italian word as the musical 'adagio.' Italian 'agio' (ease, convenience) was applied to money-changing because the exchange was a 'convenience' for the merchant. So the slow movement of Beethoven's 'Pathétique' Sonata and the exchange rate at a currency booth share an etymological root in the concept of 'ease.' The most famous adagio in Western music — Samuel Barber's 'Adagio for Strings' (1936) — has been played at state funerals, in films, and at memorials worldwide, making it perhaps the most emotionally charged slow movement ever written.