sinfonietta

Either:

• from the Italian sinfonietta;
• formed on the Italian roots sinfonia (“symphony”) + -etta (feminine diminutive suffix), either in English or in German (as Sinfonietta) and adopted thence; or,
• an alteration of the French symphoniette to resemble an Italian construction of the form sinfonia + -etta.

Compare the French–Italian hybrid symphonietta.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sĭnfōnyĕʹtə, IPA^(key): /sɪnfəʊˈnjɛtə/

or as in Italian

sinfonietta (plural sinfoniettas or sinfoniette)

1. (music) A small-scale symphony (either in length or size of orchestra needed).
2. (music) A small orchestra.

• “‖sinfonietta” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
    (sinfoniˈɛtta, sɪnfəʊˈnjɛtə) [It., dim. of prec.]
• Grove Music Online, Sinfonietta
    The word is not genuine Italian and has been little used by Italian composers. It was apparently coined by Joachim Raff, whose Sinfonietta in F for ten wind instruments, op.188, was published in 1874.
• The Oxford Companion to Music, sinfonietta
    The first known work to be so designated was Rimsky-Korsakov’s Symphoniette sur des thèmes russes, composed c. 1880 and published in 1887. Since the early 20th century the Italian form ‘sinfonietta’ has been preferred (the word is not genuinely Italian, however).

• festination, infestation

sinfonietta

1. (music) sinfonietta

• IPA^(key): /sinfoniˈɛtːa/

sinfonietta f (plural sinfoniette) (Diminutive of: sinfonia)

1. sinfonia (both senses)