piano
1
[ pee-an-oh, pyan-oh ]
/ piˈæn oʊ, ˈpyæn oʊ /
noun, plural pi·an·os.
a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.
Origin of piano
1
First recorded in 1795–1805; short for
pianoforte
Words nearby piano
pianism,
pianissimo,
pianist,
pianistic,
pianistics,
piano,
piano accordion,
piano bar,
piano duet,
piano hinge,
piano nobile
Definition for piano (2 of 2)
piano
2
[ pee-ah-noh; Italian pyah-naw ]
/ piˈɑ noʊ; Italian ˈpyɑ nɔ /
adjective
soft; subdued.
adverb
softly. Abbreviation: p, p.
Origin of piano
2
1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin
plānus
plain1
Example sentences from the Web for piano
British Dictionary definitions for piano (1 of 3)
piano
1
/ (pɪˈænəʊ) /
noun plural -anos
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
Word Origin for piano
C19: short for
pianoforte
British Dictionary definitions for piano (2 of 3)
piano
2
/ (ˈpjɑːnəʊ) /
adjective, adverb
music
(to be performed) softly
Symbol: p
Word Origin for piano
C17: from Italian, from Latin
plānus flat; see
plain
1
British Dictionary definitions for piano (3 of 3)
Piano
/ (Italian pjˈɑno) /
noun
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)
Cultural definitions for piano
piano
A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.