PIANO

piano, soft

(adjective) (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) soft; in a quiet, subdued tone; “the piano passages in the composition”

piano, softly

(adverb) used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly

piano, pianoforte, forte-piano

(noun) a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds

piano, pianissimo

(noun) (music) low loudness

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

piano (plural pianos or piani)

(musical instruments) a keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings [from 1803]

Synonym: pianoforte

Coordinate terms: cembalo, clavichord, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer, synth

Adjective

piano (comparative more piano, superlative most piano)

(music) soft, quiet

in extended use; quiet, subdued

Etymology 2

Adverb

piano (not comparable)

(music) softly, as a musical direction (abbreviated to p. in sheet music) [from 17th c.]

Anagrams

• NAIOP

Source: Wiktionary


Pi*a"no, a. & adv. Etym: [It., even, smooth, soft, fr. L. planus even, level.] (Mus.)

Definition: Soft; -- a direction to the performer to execute a certain passage softly, and with diminished volume of tone. (Abbrev. p.)

Pi*an"o, Pi*an"o*for`te, n. Etym: [It. piano soft (fr. L. planus even, smooth; see Plain, a.) + It. forte strong, fr. L. fortis (see Fort).] (Mus.)

Definition: A well-known musical instrument somewhat resembling the harpsichord, and consisting of a sreies of wires of graduated length, thickness, and tension, struck by hammers moved by keys. Dumb piano. See Digitorium.

– Grand piano. See under Grand.

– Square piano, one with a horizontal frame and an oblong case.

– Upright piano, one with an upright frame and vertical wires.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

30 May 2025

FOREHAND

(noun) (sports) a return made with the palm of the hand facing the direction of the stroke (as in tennis or badminton or squash)


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.

coffee icon