piano

¹ American  

[pee-an-oh, pyan-oh] / piˈæn oʊ, ˈpyæn oʊ /

noun

plural

pianos

1. a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.

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piano ² American  

[pee-ah-noh, pyah-naw] / piˈɑ noʊ, ˈpyɑ nɔ /

adjective

1. soft; subdued.

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adverb

1. softly. p, p.

piano ¹ British  

/ ˈpjɑːnəʊ /

adjective

1.  p.  music (to be performed) softly

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Piano ² British  

/ pjˈɑno /

noun

1. 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)

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piano ³ British  

/ pɪˈænəʊ /

noun

1. 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

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piano Cultural  

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.

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Etymology

Origin of piano¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte

Origin of piano¹

1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain ¹

Example Sentences

Utilities, gasoline and dance and piano lessons for their two children are cheaper in Appleton, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

Raised in Newtownbutler in County Fermanagh, Róis grew up in a "very musical household", learning Irish traditional music before studying piano, but she was initially reluctant to sing.

From BBC

I played it on the piano, Philip Bailey sang, and Verdeen was on the bass.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, Mr. Clayton is playing Fender Rhodes electric piano, and Mr. Brewer’s bass interprets the melody.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Christmas Eve, the Catherine and Princess Charlotte's pre-recorded Christmas piano duet from inside Windsor Castle was broadcast.

From BBC

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard