[stret.to] also stret.ta n, pl stret.ti or strettos [stretto fr. It, fr. stretto narrow, close, fr. L strictus, pp.; stretta fr. It, fr. fem. of stretto--more at strict] (ca. 1740) 1 a: the overlapping of answer with subject in a musical fugue b: the part of a fugue characterized by this overlapping
2: a concluding passage performed in a quicker tempo