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mezzo piano

American  
[met-soh pee-ah-noh] / ˈmɛt soʊ piˈɑ noʊ /

adverb

Music.

  1. somewhat louder than piano but softer than forte; moderately soft.

Etymology

Origin of mezzo piano

1805–15; < Italian: literally, half soft

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.

It’s a triumph of transcription, with the power to conjure a cathedral with only two hands and dynamics that rarely exceed mezzo piano.

From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2018

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.