piano
pronunciation
How to pronounce piano in British English:
UK [piˈænəʊ , ˈpjɑːnəʊ]
How to pronounce piano in American English:
US [piˈænoʊ , ˈpjɑːnoʊ]
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- Noun:
- a stringed instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
- (music) low loudness
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- Adjective:
- used chiefly as a direction or description in music
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- Adverb:
- used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly
Word Origin
- piano
- piano: [19] Piano is short for pianoforte [18], a term borrowed from Italian which means literally ‘softloud’. It was a lexicalization of an epithet (piano e forte ‘soft and loud’) applied in the early 18th century to a new sort of harpsichord whose volume could be varied by the use of dampers. Italian piano itself is descended from Latin plānus ‘flat, even’, later ‘smooth’, source of English plain. It was introduced into English as a musical direction in the late 17th century.=> plain, plane
- piano (n.)
- 1803, from French piano (18c.), Italian piano, shortened forms of pianoforte (q.v.). As an adverb, "softly," in musical directions (superlative pianissimo), attested from 1680s. Piano wire attested from 1831.
Example
- 1. Apple 's ipad mini ads had users playing piano .
- 2. They will say , " did you see what happened last night at the piano bar ? "
- 3. Everyone will tell you to go to the piano bar .
- 4. Don 't go to the piano bar
- 5. Don 't go to the piano bar .