piccolo

American  

[pik-uh-loh] / ˈpɪk əˌloʊ /

noun

plural

piccolos

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

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piccolo British  

/ ˈpɪkəˌləʊ /

noun

1. a woodwind instrument, the smallest member of the flute family, lying an octave above that of the flute See flute

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piccolo Cultural  

1. A small, high-pitched flute.

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Etymology

Origin of piccolo

1855–60; < Italian: literally, small

Example Sentences

Her flutes — from piccolo to bass and all in between — and friends became magic makers in this numinous physical and musical landscape.

From Los Angeles Times

She holds her head high whether playing piccolo or the 6-foot contrabass flute, as if her instrument were a magic wand used to activate her voice in the highest registers and the deepest.

From Los Angeles Times

Band members received new uniforms, new drums and, most recently, new flutes and piccolos, all of it paid for by the district’s budget for the arts.

From Los Angeles Times

A tuba is also much harder for a thief to pilfer than, say, a piccolo, or even a trumpet.

From New York Times

In the Lento e deserto, the work’s only slow movement, the lonely yowlings of piccolo, bassoon and slide whistle formed a tender yet humorous trio.

From New York Times