Definition of piano
: at a soft volume : soft
—used as a direction in music
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Origin and Etymology of piano
Definition of piano
plural 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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Joe hates piano until a new teacher introduces him to Bacharach’s music, which is just starting to break through in the mid-1960s.
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The nine-track, 35-minute album features previously-unreleased material of Prince at his piano in his home studio in Chanhassen, Minn., recorded in 1983.
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The Steinway Society of Central Florida provides pianos and music education to young children in economic need.
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On the final two takes, Coltrane ticks the tempo up higher, and slashes boldly without a piano beneath him.
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The evening soiree showcases cuisine from chef Derek Christensen of Moonrise Standard, dueling pianos and electric violinist trio Urban Electra.
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His wife, who runs teaches piano out of their home, was devastated when her grand piano was destroyed in the storm.
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Joshua plays the piano and drums, Manny the guitar, and Bethany the bass.
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Last Wednesday, Rudy was in the LA Grand Hotel, surrounded by soft-jazz piano and spiral-arm chandeliers, to try to figure out what rockoons could maybe do for the military.
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.
PIANO Defined for English Language Learners
Definition 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
Definition of piano for Students
plural 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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See words that rhyme with piano 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
Seen and Heard
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