fuggente

Fuggente is an Italian adjective meaning “fugitive, fleeing, elusive.” It derives from the verb fuggire, “to flee.” In standard Italian it can describe something that escapes or passes quickly, for example una memoria fuggente (a fleeting memory) or una luce fuggente (a light that seems to slip away).

Beyond everyday usage, fuggente is common in literary and poetic Italian to convey transience and impermanence, especially when referring to time, youth, or emotions that slip away. It is used to evoke imagery of things that cannot be held onto, emphasizing the fleeting nature of experience.

In music and criticism, fuggente may appear as a descriptive term to evoke urgency or slipping motion. It is not among the fixed tempo markings (such as allegro or presto) but rather an expressive adjective that some writers or composers use to suggest a sense of speed or elusiveness within a passage. Its use in musical contexts tends to be stylistic or poetic rather than standardized.

Related terms include fugace (fleeting) and fuggire (to flee). In English, fuggente is usually rendered as “fugitive” or “fleeting,” depending on context. It is primarily used in Italian-language contexts; in translations, the term is kept in Italian or rendered according to the surrounding sense.