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Synonyms

pianoforte

American  
[pee-an-uh-fawrt, -fohrt, pee-an-uh-fawr-tee, -tey, -fohr-] / piˈæn əˌfɔrt, -ˌfoʊrt, piˌæn əˈfɔr ti, -teɪ, -ˈfoʊr- /

noun

  1. a piano.

pianoforte British  
/ pɪˈænəʊˈfɔːtɪ /

noun

  1. the full name for piano 1

"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
pianoforte Cultural  

  1. The full name of the piano, the common musical instrument with a board of black and white keys, eighty-eight in all. The keys operate hammers that strike wires. Pianoforte is Italian for “soft-loud”; it received this name because its level of loudness depends on how hard the player strikes the keys.

Etymology

Origin of pianoforte

1760–70; < Italian ( gravecembalo col ) piano e forte literally, (harpsicord with) soft and loud, equivalent to piano soft ( piano 2 ) + forte loud ( forte 2 )

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.

"She not only plays sitar and maruli, but pianoforte too," adds Kate.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2022

So the melodies remained intact, even when the arrangements became "lower and darker", as on the pianoforte rework of Never Gonna Give You Up.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2019

A pianoforte, mandolin and clarinet, as well as a mah-jongg game, seem to await players.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2018

Upstairs in the genteel parlor, appointed with a harp and pianoforte, women sewed, wrote letters, drank tea and lemonade.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2015

Her sister had not the smallest objection, and the pianoforte was opened; and Darcy, after a few moments’ recollection, was not sorry for it.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

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.