pianoforte
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pianoforte
1760–70; < Italian ( gravecembalo col ) piano e forte literally, (harpsicord with) soft and loud, equivalent to piano soft ( see piano 2) + forte loud ( see 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.
By 1891, John had moved to Edinburgh and was living as a lodger with a widowed pianoforte maker, Richard Honeyman, 70, and his daughter, Helen, 45.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024
"She not only plays sitar and maruli, but pianoforte too," adds Kate.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2022
A providential accident nearby soon deposits a handsome injured gentleman at their school; his friends visit; and vivacious Miss Asquith, practical Miss Pffolliott and scientific Miss Franklin become busy with more than their pianoforte lessons.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2015
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
Instead of reading, she could perhaps use the pianoforte, but...well, it had been a while, and she wasn’t sure she could endure the sound of her own stumbling, clumsy playing.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
