pianistic

adjective

pi·​a·​nis·​tic ˌpē-ə-ˈni-stik 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the piano

2

: skilled in or well adapted to piano playing

pianistically

ˌpē-ə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

The origin of "pianistic" won’t surprise anyone - it’s ultimately from "piano," of course. But the "-istic" suffix is less than ubiquitous and bears some attention. It is used from time to time to create adjectives that correspond to nouns ending primarily in "-ism" or "-ist." (In this case, both "pianism" and "pianist" outdate "pianistic," although only by a few years.) The pedigree of "-istic" isn’t too surprising; etymologists report that it comes from Middle French ("-istique"), Latin ("-isticus"), and ultimately Greek ("-istikos"). As with words formed from the suffix -ic, words ending in "-istic" can sometimes find life as nouns - for example, "autistic" and "characteristic."

Examples of pianistic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But before long, in a transition that few composers could handle so successfully, stark pianistic marching leads the orchestra into the punchy environs of percussive Americana. — Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022

Among his students were Franz Liszt and Theodor Leschetizky; Barnatan and Ohlsson can trace their pianistic pedigrees back to Czerny. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2022

Ravel’s four-hand arrangement of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun isn’t as evocative as the original orchestration, instead exploring pianistic colors. — Dallas News, 30 June 2022

For devotees of old films, listening to it brings back memories of countless midcentury movie scores that quoted its melodies, and so, by now this music blends redolences of vintage cinematic Americana with grand European pianistic virtuosity. — Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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