piano

[ pee-an-oh, pyan-oh ]

/ piˈæn oʊ, ˈpyæn oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR piano ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pi·an·os.

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

Nearby words

pianism, pianissimo, pianist, pianistic, pianistics, piano, piano accordion, piano bar, piano duet, piano hinge, piano nobile

Compare baby grand, concert grand, grand piano, spinet, square piano, upright piano.

Origin of piano

First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte

Definition for piano (2 of 2)

piano

[ pee-ah-noh; Italian pyah-naw ]

/ piˈɑ noʊ; Italian ˈpyɑ nɔ /

Music.

adjective

soft; subdued.

adverb

softly. Abbreviation: p, p.

Origin of piano

1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for piano

On piano was legendary session man Billy Preston, who co-wrote and recorded the original version one year before Cocker's.
Joe Cocker's Deep Live Cuts|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When you left the piano for the Fender Rhodes and various synthesizers and came back to it, did it affect the way you play piano?
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth|David Yaffe|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was Littlejohn who drew the iconic image of Snoopy dancing on a piano despite Charles Schulz's protests.
Garfield Television: The Cat Who Saved Primetime Cartoons|Rich Goldstein|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the piano is a portrait of Lizzie, and replica skulls of the Bordens are displayed in the dining room.
Would You Stay in Lizzie Borden’s Ax-Murder House?|Nina Strochlic|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He has played the song on the piano at a charity event and sung it for Russian spy Anna Chapman and her colleagues.
Fake Snowden Is Russia’s Newest TV Star|Cathy Young|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the stragglers were still in the houses; in one of them I heard some soldiers playing a piano.
Ten years in the ranks, U.S. army|Augustus Meyers
Judith left the piano, sat beside him, and he lightly kissed her.
Linda Condon|Joseph Hergesheimer
Haydn agreed, the sailor quitted him, the composer opened his piano, and in a few minutes the march was written.
Books and Authors|Anonymous
She straightened up, gazed silently at the piano for a few moments; sounded a few chords.
The Moonlit Way|Robert W. Chambers
On the side opposite to that on which the piano stood was a little fireplace.
The Doctor|Ralph Connor

British Dictionary definitions for piano (1 of 3)

piano

/ (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 vibrationsSee also grand piano, upright piano

Word Origin for piano

C19: short for pianoforte

British Dictionary definitions for piano (2 of 3)

piano

/ (ˈpjɑːnəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

music (to be performed) softlySymbol: 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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture 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.