gruppetto

In music, one of several similar Italian terms used in the 16th century for trills (rapid oscillation between adjacent notes), and later for the turn (a form of melodic pirouette around a note). As a turn, the gruppetto designates a four-note figure consisting of the note above the principal note, the note itself, the note below, and the note itself. It was often used as an extemporized embellishment, especially by singers.