piano

1 of 2

adverb or adjective

pi·​a·​no pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce piano (audio)
: at a soft volume : soft
used as a direction in music

piano

2 of 2

noun

pi·​ano pē-ˈa-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce piano (audio)
also
-ˈä- How to pronounce piano (audio)
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

Noun Do you play the piano? He takes piano lessons on Wednesdays.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
After stepping back from public duties in 2002, the duchess, who had a deep passion for music and played the piano, organ and violin, taught the subject at a primary school in Hull, northeastern England, for several years. Max Foster, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 The feature directorial debut of documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (Navalny) follows a gifted piano tuner’s meticulous skills for tuning pianos. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025 Another uncle, Ron Huckabay, plays piano in George Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025 That rich musical background eventually turned into her own pursuit of music, including singing in church and learning how to play the bass guitar and piano. Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for piano

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

Italian, from Late Latin planus smooth, from Latin, level — more at floor

Noun

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

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1683, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1772, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of piano was in 1683

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Cite this Entry

“Piano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piano. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

piano

1 of 2 adverb or adjective
pi·​a·​no pē-ˈän-ō How to pronounce piano (audio)
: in a soft or quiet manner
used as a direction in music

piano

2 of 2 noun
pi·​ano pē-ˈan-ō How to pronounce piano (audio)
plural pianos
: a musical instrument consisting of a large frame holding steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers which are operated from a keyboard
pianist
pē-ˈan-əst
ˈpē-ə-nəst
noun
Etymology

Noun

from Italian piano "a keyboard musical instrument," a shortened form of pianoforte, from piano "soft" and forte "loud"; so called because, unlike earlier keyboard instruments, it could be played with varying degrees of loudness

Biographical Definition

Piano

biographical name

Pi·​a·​no pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce Piano (audio)
Renzo 1937–     Italian architect

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