soft(ly): often used as a musical direction
Origin of piano
It, soft, smooth from Classical Latin planus, smooth, planenoun
pl. -·an′os a passage to be performed piano
A black grand piano.
- Piano is defined as the sound level when music is played softly.
An example of a piece that would be described as being played "piano" is a musical piece that is played very quietly.
- The definition of a piano is a large keyboard instrument with keys that strike wires which are stretched a metal frame inside a wooden case, or a piece of music that is written to be performed with a soft volume.
An example of a piano is a large instrument that you play by pressing black and white keys that cause hammers to hit wires to produce sound.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"piano." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO>.
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piano. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO
piano
noun
pl. -·nos a large keyboard instrument, each key of which operates a small, felt-covered hammer that strikes and vibrates a corresponding wire or set of wires stretched on a metal frame that is enclosed in a wooden case of various forms: the wires typically produce tones ranging over seven octaves
Origin of piano
It, contr. from pianoforteWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"piano." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO>.
APA Style
piano. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO
piano
noun
pl. pi·an·osA musical instrument with a manual keyboard actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals.
Origin of piano
Italian short for pianoforte ; see pianoforte .
piano1
top: upright piano
bottom: grand piano
piano1
Music
adverb
adjective
Abbr. pIn a soft or quiet tone. Used chiefly as a direction.
noun
pl. pi·a·nosA passage to be played softly or quietly.
Origin of piano
Italian from Late Latin plānus smooth, graceful from Latin flat ; see pelə-2 in Indo-European roots.THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"piano." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO>.
APA Style
piano. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO
Noun
(plural pianos or piani)
- (music) A keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.
- The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.
- She has been taking lessons for many years and now plays piano very well.
- He can play "Happy Birthday" on the piano.
- Most of the works by Frédéric Chopin are for the piano.
Adjective
(comparative more piano, superlative most piano)
Adverb
(not comparable)
Origin
Short form of pianoforte, from Italian piano (“soft") + forte (“strong"). So named because older keyboard instruments, notably the harpsichord and the clavier, could not produce varied volumes.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"piano." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO>.
APA Style
piano. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PIANO
Sentence Examples
- Ha, I think I'll leave the piano to you.
- She kept one hand on the singer's mouth, while the other rested on the piano, and she stood in this position as long as any one would sing to her, and afterward she would make a continuous sound which she called singing.
- She had taken a few piano lessons at the Perkins Institution.
- She always liked to stand by the piano when some one was playing and singing.
- Sarah heard the piano playing very softly as she started down the stairs to make breakfast,.
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