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Origin and Etymology of piano
Italian, from Late Latin planus smooth, from Latin, level — more at floor
Definition of piano
pianos
: a musical instrument having steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard
Examples of piano in a Sentence
Do you play the piano?
He takes piano lessons on Wednesdays.
Recent Examples of piano from the Web
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Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz gave him his own baby piano.
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The overture communicates the drama of negotiations through the counterpoint of the clarinet with the other instruments, striking a klezmer motif that exits quickly when met with the aggressive staccato passages of the strings and piano.
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But the episode after Election Day featured an entirely serious cold open, with Kate McKinnon's Clinton playing 'Hallelujah' at the piano with tears in her eyes.
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At your first stop in downtown Washington, D.C., at the National Museum of American History, check out the Star Spangled Banner and Duke Ellington's Wurlitzer piano.
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Additionally, the orchestra boasts a sizable horn section, piano, bass and drums, according to Michel.
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This difficult, challenging assignment was to get a feel for why – even after all these years since the first cat-playing-piano video made its debut – the cute and the curious little fluffballs still virally and vehemently rule the internet.
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Stevens asks as layers of reverberating voice and piano seem to knit ornate webs.
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Its grand ballroom was the site of Elvis Presley’s high school prom, and a piano on the mezzanine once belonged to Francis Scott Key.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piano'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of piano
Italian, short for pianoforte, from gravicembalo col piano e forte, literally, harpsichord with soft and loud; from the fact that its tones could be varied in loudness
Piano
playDefinition of Piano
Renzo 1937– Italian architect
PIANO Defined for English Language Learners
piano
playDefinition of piano for English Language Learners
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: a large musical instrument with a keyboard that you play by pressing black and white keys and that produces sound when small hammers inside the piano hit steel wires
PIANO Defined for Kids
piano
playDefinition of piano for Students
pianos
: a keyboard instrument having steel wire strings that make a sound when struck by hammers covered with felt
History for piano
When a harpsichord is played, pressing on the keys causes the strings to be plucked in such a way that loudness and softness cannot be controlled. Around 1700 an Italian instrument maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori invented a mechanism by which the strings of a harpsichord would be struck by felt-covered hammers. This device allowed the performer to play notes with varying degrees of loudness. In Italian this new instrument was called gravicembalo col piano e forte, “harpsichord with soft and loud.” The name was borrowed into English as pianoforte or fortepiano, which was eventually shortened to just piano.
Learn More about piano
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Spanish Central: Translation of piano Nglish: Translation of piano for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of piano for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about piano
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