Definitions for: Rubato

[n] a flexible tempo; not strictly on the beat

Webster (1913) Definition: Ru*ba"to, a. [It.]
Robbed; borrowed.

Temple rubato. [It.] (Mus.) Borrowed time; -- a term
applied to a style of performance in which some tones are
held longer than their legitimate time, while others are
proportionally curtailed.

See Also: pacing, tempo