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.

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

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.