fortissimo
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of fortissimo
1715–25; < Italian; superlative of forte forte 2
Explanation
The word fortissimo in a piece of music means you need to play or sing very loudly at that point. It’s the opposite of pianissimo. You may already know the Italian word forte as used in music to mean "loud" or "loudly." Fortissimo has the same root, plus the suffix -issimo, which is like the English ending -est in loudest. So theoretically, fortissimo tells you to produce the loudest sound you can. The instruction is represented by the symbol ƒƒ, but you can also see ƒƒƒ sometimes, or even ƒƒƒƒ! Which is extremely, crashingly loud!
Vocabulary lists containing fortissimo
Music - Middle School
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
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Music - High School
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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.
When the 48-year-old conductor leans forward to extend his arms and emphasize vibrato or stretches high for a fortissimo during an orchestra concert, the red soles of his patent leather Christian Louboutins become visible.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 26, 2023
“Some players go for it and some… I really had to say, ‘No that fortissimo isn’t enough.’
From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2022
Mr Wallace states the UK government's position in the minor key compared to the fortissimo of the foreign secretary.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2022
What there were, however, were people clapping between movements of the symphony, and at one point in the first movement at a sudden fortissimo.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2021
The amplitude of a sound is a particular number, usually measured in decibels, but dynamics are relative; an orchestra playing fortissimo sounds much louder than a single violin playing fortissimo.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
