Webster's 1913 Dictionary
PASSACAGLIA; PASSACAGLIO
Pas `sa *ca *glia, Pas `sa *ca *glio, n. Etym: [Sp. pasacalle a certain tune on the guitar, prop. , a tune played in passing through the streets.] (Mus. )
Defn: An old Italian or Spanish dance tune, in slow three-four measure, with divisions on a ground bass, resembling a chaconne.
New American Oxford Dictionary
passacaglia
pas sa ca glia |ˌpäsəˈkälyə ˌpɑsəˈkɑljə | ▶noun Music a composition similar to a chaconne, typically in slow triple time with variations over a ground bass. ORIGIN Italian, from Spanish pasacalle, from pasar ‘to pass ’ + calle ‘street ’ (because originally it was a dance often played in the streets ).
Oxford Dictionary
passacaglia
passacaglia |ˌpasəˈkɑːlɪə | ▶noun Music a composition similar to a chaconne, typically in slow triple time with variations over a ground bass. ORIGIN Italian, from Spanish pasacalle, from pasar ‘to pass ’ + calle ‘street ’ (because originally it was a dance often played in the streets ).
Duden Dictionary
Passacaglia
Pas sa ca g lia, Pas sa ca glia Substantiv, feminin Musik , die |…ˈkalja |die Passacaglia; Genitiv: der Passacaglia, Plural: die Passacaglien |[…jən ]|italienisch passacaglia < spanisch pasacalle = von der Gitarre begleiteter Gesang, zu: pasar = hindurchgehen und calle = Straße; nach den durch die Straßen ziehenden Musikantengruppen Instrumentalstück aus Variationen über eine vier- oder achttaktige, als Ostinato ständig wiederkehrende Bassmelodie
The Wordsmith Dictionary