player piano

noun

1. a piano that can play automatically when the keys are actuated electronically or by a pneumatic device controlled by a piano roll.

player piano

noun

1. a mechanical piano; Pianola

Word History and Origins

Origin of player piano¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

He had Steinway program a player piano to perform “Mad Rush” with Glass pounding playing style, and he had his roaming camera observe the big cat’s response to the music.

From Los Angeles Times

There were newfangled inventions: player pianos, phonographs and nickelodeons.

From New York Times

Glass does appear briefly, in the form of a Steinway Spirio piano — an instrument that can record sound and touch then reproduce it, like an advanced player piano.

From New York Times

The rotating stage is dominated by a wooden swing, a player piano and, most memorably, a gigantic fish: two halves of a trout, suspended high above the actors.

From New York Times

An older man dropped a coin into the player piano, which pushed out a quick song like the kind from a carousel.

From Literature