piano

¹

[ pee-an-oh, pyan-oh ]

noun

, plural pi·an·os.

1. a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.

piano

²

[ pee-ah-noh; Italian pyah-naw ]

adjective

1. soft; subdued.

adverb

1. softly. : p, p.

Piano

¹

/ pjˈɑno /

noun

1. PianoRenzo1937MItalianARCHITECTURE: architect Renzo. born 1937, Italian architect; buildings include the Pompidou Centre, Paris (1977; with Richard Rogers), the Potsdamer Platz redevelopment, Berlin (1998), and The Shard, London (2012)

piano

²

/ ˈpjɑːnəʊ /

adjective

1. music (to be performed) softly p

piano

³

/ pɪˈænəʊ /

noun

1. a musical stringed instrument resembling a harp set in a vertical or horizontal frame, played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike the strings and produce audible vibrations See also grand piano upright piano

piano

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte . As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte .

Word History and Origins

Origin of piano¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte

Origin of piano²

1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of piano¹

C17: from Italian, from Latin plānus flat; see plain ¹

Origin of piano²

C19: short for pianoforte

Example Sentences

“And I thought that by injecting some of that high clarinet, the muted trombones and the piano groove, I would take the audience back to that era without playing jazz.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I think it’s a healthy dose of both,” says Bear, poised at her piano.

From Los Angeles Times

That theme — later orchestrated with a buzzing hive of strings, solo clarinet, piano and percussion — became the soul of the whole score.

From Los Angeles Times

Dumont added that Piaf showed extreme reluctance when the pair turned up at her flat, but she allowed Dumont to play the song on her piano.

From BBC

That’s how he got into music, initially — he’s played piano since he was 5.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard