piccolo

[ pik-uh-loh ]

/ ˈpɪk əˌloʊ /

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noun, plural pic·co·los.

a small flute sounding an octave higher than the ordinary flute.

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Origin of piccolo

1855–60; <Italian: literally, small

Words nearby piccolo

piccanin, piccaninny, Piccard, piccata, Piccinni, piccolo, piccoloist, pice, piceous, pich, pi character

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use piccolo in a sentence

Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer in 1969 at the age of 25 and died less than a year later.
7 Great Football Flicks From Horse Feathers to Friday Night Lights|The Daily Beast|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He began whistling as clearly and correctly as a piccolo the air of a recently published waltz.
The Dreamer|Mary Newton Stanard
It was a very unsatisfactory kiss because we had to purse our lips like a pair of piccolo players to make them meet.
Highways in Hiding|George Oliver Smith
And on state occasions, we are joined by an attorney-at-law who plays the piccolo.
Life's Minor Collisions|Frances Warner

The piccolo, passing sandwiches, looks up with hearty response.
Life's Minor Collisions|Frances Warner
Cosimo could only pipe—one little note, high and thin as that of a piccolo.
A Crooked Mile|Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for piccolo

piccolo

/ (ˈpɪkəˌləʊ) /

noun plural -los

a woodwind instrument, the smallest member of the flute family, lying an octave above that of the fluteSee flute (def. 1)

Word Origin for piccolo

C19: from Italian: small; compare English petty, French petit

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

Cultural definitions for piccolo

piccolo

[ (pik-uh-loh) ]

A small, high-pitched flute.