sostenuta

Sostenuta is the feminine singular past participle of the Italian verb sostenere, and as an adjective it means sustained or supported. It agrees with feminine singular nouns, for example una nota sostenuta (a sustained note) or una voce sostenuta (a sustained voice). The masculine form is sostenuto, and the plural forms are sostenuti (masc) and sostenute (fem). The word derives from sostener, through the verb sostenere, itself from Latin sustinēre.

In practice, sostenuta is used in Italian grammar and literature to describe objects or qualities that are upheld, prolonged, or maintained over time. It can appear in various domains, including music, architecture, writing, and linguistic description, whenever a feminine noun is modified to express durability or continuity.

In music notation, the standard directive for a prolonged or sustained sound is sostenuto. The feminine participle sostenuta may occur in descriptive or analytic Italian-language texts about music, typically in phrases such as nota sostenuta or melodia sostenuta, where the quality of being held or prolonged is attributed to a feminine noun.

Sostenuta is not commonly used as a proper noun. Its primary role in Italian is grammatical and descriptive, functioning as the feminine form of a past participle and as an adjective indicating something that is kept up, prolonged, or supported.