TEMPO Meaning of TEMPO in English ■ noun ( plural ~s or tempi -pi: ) 1》 Music the speed at which a passage of music is played. 2》 the pace of an activity or process.OriginC17: from Ital., from L. tempus 'time'. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004