súbito

Súbito is an adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to indicate something that happens quickly and without gradual development. It describes events, conditions, or changes that appear suddenly, as in "un dolor súbito" (a sudden pain) or "un inicio súbito" (a sudden onset). The term can also function adverbially in phrases such as "de súbito," meaning unexpectedly or abruptly.

Originating from Latin subitus, meaning "sudden," súbito comes from subire, to go under or to advance suddenly. It is cognate with Italian subito. The word has retained its sense of immediacy across these Romance languages and remains in use in medical, literary, and everyday contexts to convey abruptness.

Usage: In medical language, súbito frequently describes abrupt onset of symptoms or events, for example "dolor súbito" or "inicio súbito de fiebre." In everyday writing it conveys the same sense of rapid change without implying a specific mechanism. It can also appear in historical or descriptive prose to characterize unanticipated changes in circumstances.

Musical terms: In Italian the equivalent term is subito, used as an instruction meaning "suddenly." In Spanish and Portuguese texts súbito is rarely used in musical notation, but may appear in explanations or translations that reference the Italian term.

Related terms include repentino and brusco; cross-language references often highlight subito as the direct musical cognate.