piccolo

1 of 2

adjective

pic·​co·​lo ˈpi-kə-ˌlō How to pronounce piccolo (audio)
: smaller than ordinary size
a piccolo banjo

piccolo

2 of 2

noun

plural piccolos
: a small shrill flute whose range is an octave higher than that of an ordinary flute
piccoloist noun

Illustration of piccolo

Illustration of piccolo

Examples of piccolo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Trumpets spread out around the auditorium; bass notes in the orchestra rose as if from profound depths; enticing melodies came out of nowhere, and piccolos and glockenspiels imagined a wondrous twinkling of night light on Disney’s steel, were the Music Center ever to properly light the building. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023 Is that a piccolo peeking out from behind the library check-out desk? Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 31 July 2023 Music has always been a part of Kujala’s life, having first played the piccolo at age five with his father, former longtime Chicago Symphony piccolo player and Northwestern professor Walfrid Kujala. Alex Hulvalchick, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2022 Later, as Adonis sets off on the hunt, two flutes and a piccolo evoke his fatal insouciance, issuing birdlike high harmonics and an Aeolian whistling that is produced by blowing directly into the instrument. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023 Advertisement The piece began with flutes, piccolo, and percussionists (playing an array of American Indian instruments) gently improvising over a drone in the low strings. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2023 From there, a turn-by-turn procession unfolds that feels equal parts fantastic and funereal: A loose melodic tangle of oboe, violin, piccolo, cello and bassoon twists into an anxious coil. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 5 May 2023 It is scored for a flutist who also plays alto flute and piccolo, a pianist doubling on celesta, and a percussionist playing glockenspiel, vibraphone, tubular bells, and marimba. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2023 In truth the night was an exceptional outing for the entire core of the orchestra’s woodwinds, including Lisa Hennessy (flute), Rane Moore (clarinet), Mary Kay Robinson (piccolo), and Rachel Jusczcak (bassoon). Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piccolo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Italian, small

Noun

Italian, short for piccolo flauto small flute

First Known Use

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of piccolo was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near piccolo

Cite this Entry

“Piccolo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piccolo. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

piccolo

noun
pic·​co·​lo
ˈpik-ə-ˌlō
plural piccolos
: a small shrill flute
piccoloist
-əst
noun
Etymology

Noun

from Italian piccolo "piccolo," a shortened form of piccolo flauto "little flute"

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