piccolo

1 of 2

adjective

pic·​co·​lo ˈpi-kə-ˌlō 

: 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

ˈpi-kə-ˌlō-ist 

noun

Illustration of piccolo

Examples of piccolo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If there were to be a museum (or, at least, a coffee-table book) collecting examples of this highly specific form of ache, Chalifoux would make a worthy cover—a closeup of her face, amid rows of her fellow-musicians, piccolo still affixed to her lips, playing through tears. —Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025

Take, for example, the case of Roxanne Chalifoux, a piccolo player in the Villanova band who, in 2015, was immortalized during March Madness, when N.C. —Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025

Or a tearful Villanova piccolo player soldiering through in the wake of a loss. —Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

He’s manifested these through violin, piccolo, glockenspiel, and rumbling percussion suggestive of rolling surf, lighting strikes, and thunder. —Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for piccolo

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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"