piccolo
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of piccolo
1855–60; < Italian: literally, small
Explanation
Many orchestras include a piccolo, which is a small, high-pitched flute. The word piccolo is in the fairly extensive group of Italian words that designate musical instruments and other musical terms. A piccolo is a small flute that plays an octave higher than an ordinary one; the word comes, appropriately enough, from the Italian for "small," which is also piccolo.
Vocabulary lists containing piccolo
Music to My Ears: Instrumental Vocab
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wedbush analyst Michael Piccolo said in a note last week that eBay had significant resources at its disposal to ward off any takeover attempt, including the possible adoption of a shareholder-rights plan.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
“Amazon is effectively solving its FCC deadline problem by acquiring a functioning satellite operator while also leapfrogging into direct-to-device connectivity, a market SpaceX’s Starlink has been targeting,” Wedbush analyst Michael Piccolo wrote Wednesday.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
This solo show, which I saw at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, offered a passionate defense of how great literature can teach us to live again.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
Uber, Disney’s lawyers attempted to block the case from proceeding to court, citing an arbitration clause Piccolo agreed to in 2019 when subscribing to a trial of Disney+.
From Slate • Oct. 7, 2024
The name of the boy that had the father that owned this boat was Piccolo; or, rather, that was his nickname, given him because he could whistle like a piccolo-flute.
From A Boy's Town by Howells, William Dean
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
