staccato

[ stuh-kah-toh ]

/ stəˈkɑ toʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR staccato ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

shortened and detached when played or sung: staccato notes.

characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected: a staccato style of playing.Compare legato.

composed of or characterized by abruptly disconnected elements; disjointed: rapid-fire, staccato speech.

adverb

in a staccato manner.

noun, plural stac·ca·tos, stac·ca·ti [stuh-kah-tee] /stəˈkɑ ti/.

performance in a staccato manner.

a staccato passage.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

stabler, stabling, stablish, stabroek, stacc., staccato, staccato mark, staccato speech, stacey, stachys, stacia

Origin of staccato

1715–25; < Italian: disconnected, past participle of staccare (derivative of stacca pole < Gothic, but taken as a variant of distaccare to detach)

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

Examples from the Web for staccato

Cantonese, with its individual characters, also forces rappers to adopt a staccato lyricism.
Why Won’t Hong Kong Get Down With Hip-Hop?|Tim Mak|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These staccato questions were poured forth as fast as it is possible for human lips to utter words.
The Heart of Arethusa|Francis Barton Fox
Safe enough for the time being, said Doctor Fortier, breaking in in quick, staccato tones.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
Some allow pupils to practise only staccato, and others only legato, aiming thereby at nobody knows what.
Piano and Song|Friedrich Wieck

"I don't know what's keeping him," she said in her most staccato tones.
Cynthia|Leonard Merrick
Tell him to rely chiefly on his staccato; for that is the only way in which he can avoid comparison with La Motte at Vienna.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3)|Otto Jahn

British Dictionary definitions for staccato

staccato

/ (stəˈkɑːtəʊ) /

adjective

music (of notes) short, clipped, and separate

characterized by short abrupt sounds, as in speecha staccato command

adverb

(esp used as a musical direction) in a staccato manner

Word Origin for staccato

C18: from Italian, from staccare to detach, shortened from distaccare

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

Word Origin and History for staccato

staccato

1724, from Italian staccato, literally "detached, disconnected," from past participle of staccare "to detach," shortened form of distaccare "separate, detach," from Middle French destacher, from Old French destachier "to detach" (see detach).

Culture definitions for staccato

staccato

[ (stuh-kah-toh) ]

A direction in music meaning that the notes should be performed in an abrupt, sharp, clear-cut manner.

Note

The term staccato has been applied generally to things that occur in rapid bursts, such as gunfire.