piano

English

Etymology 1

Clipping of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte, from piano (“soft”) + forte (“strong”). So named because it could produce a wide range of varied volumes note-by-note, in contrast to older keyboard instruments, notably the harpsichord. Doublet of llano, plain, and plane.

Pronunciation

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /piˈænoʊ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /piˈænəʊ/
• (obsolete, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /paɪˈænoʊ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

piano (plural pianos or (archaic) pianoes)

1. (music) a percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings

   Synonym: (dated) pianoforte

   Coordinate terms: cembalo, clavichord, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer, synth

   The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.

   She has been taking lessons for many years and now plays piano very well.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

piano (third-person singular simple present pianos, present participle pianoing, simple past and past participle pianoed)

1. To play the piano.
   • 1967, Harry F. Chaplin, A McCrae Miscellany, page 41:

     Anyhow I pianoed to my own ear, and had no thought at that time for an audience.

   • 1978, Bertha Harris, Confessions of Cherubino, page 96:

     Who comforted me with Madeleines and lime tea, with whipped cream in my cocoa in far off Ann Arbor while others selfishly fiddled, bassooned, pianoed only for their own ugly self-advancement!

   • 2008, John Gruen, Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too!, page 138:

     John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Arnold Weinstein, and others came to the house, taping their poems as I pianoed and zithered and drummed away.

   • 2020, Becky Manawatu, Auē, page 139:

     We guitared and drummed and head banged and pianoed.

2. (of or with fingers) To move (the fingers) up and down on, similar to the motions of a pianist playing the piano.
   • 2013, Ann Blair Kloman, A Diamond to Die For, page 29:

     He just stared at her, leaned back in his chair and pianoed his fingers along the tablecloth.

   • 2017, Kim Michele Richardson, The Sisters of Glass Ferry:

     “Jean, it ain't right how you separated those two,” he said, and pianoed the little coffin with his fingers, tapping out his grievance.

   • 2020, Simon Lelic, The Search Party:

     The superintendent pianoed his fingers on the surface of a nearby desk.

   • 2021, Emilya Naymark, Hide in Place:

     Holly pianoed her fingers over her throat.

3. To equip with a piano.
   • 1889, The Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer, page 128:

     Other buildings will also be erected and pianoed by the same architect.

   • 1892, The Japan Daily Mail - Volume 18, page 772:

     A tabernacle has been built, burnt, rebuilt, electric lighted, organed, pianoed, and frequently filled — all during the last two years.

References

Etymology 2

From Italian piano.

Pronunciation

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /piˈɑnoʊ/, /piˈænoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /piˈɑːnəʊ/

Adverb

piano (not comparable)

1. (music) softly, as a musical direction (abbreviated to p. in sheet music)

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

piano (comparative more piano, superlative most piano)

1. (music) Soft, quiet.
2. (in extended use) Gentle, soft, subdued.
   • 1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. , volume IV, London: John Murray, , 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC:

     “Oh! yes, yes, there is not a word to be said against James Benwick […] that soft sort of manner does not do him justice.” […]
     “Well, well, ladies are the best judges; but James Benwick is rather too piano for me […] ”

   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 160:

     ‘Tradecraft, Chris,’ Enderby put in, who liked his bit of jargon, and Martindale, still piano, shot him a glance of admiration.

Verb

piano (third-person singular simple present pianos, present participle pianoing, simple past and past participle pianoed)

1. To become softer and less intense.
   • 1839, Rosina Doyle Bulwer afterwards Bulwer Lytton (Baroness Lytton.), Cheveley; Or, The Man of Honour, page 385:

     “You know, Mrs. Wrigglechops,” pianoed Miss Drucilla , even more meekly and mildly than before, "the ace is either one or eleven."

   • 2000, David R. Beasley, Aspects of Love: Three novellas, page 83:

     His tone pianoed on intimacy.

   • 2009, David Lau, Virgil and the Mountain Cat, page 61:

     A day pianoed, swelled acutest, pianoed.

Further reading

• piano on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• NAIOP

Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈanɔ/

Noun

piano f (plural piano, definite pianoja, definite plural pianot)

1. (music) piano

Azerbaijani

Etymology

Ultimately from Italian piano.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

piano (definite accusative pianonu, plural pianolar)

1. (music) piano

Declension

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

piano m (plural pianos)

1. (music) piano

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Italian piano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: pia‧no

Noun

piano n

1. (music) piano

   Synonyms: klavír, klimpr

Declension

Further reading

• piano in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• piano in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French piano, from Italian piano, shortening of pianoforte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈaːnoː/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧a‧no
• Rhymes: -aːnoː

Noun

piano f or n (plural piano's, diminutive pianootje n)

1. (music) piano

   Synonym: pianoforte

Derived terms

• pianobouwer
• pianoles
• pianospel

Esperanto

Esperanto Wikipedia has an article on:

piano

Wikipedia ^eo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: pi‧a‧no

Noun

piano (accusative singular pianon, plural pianoj, accusative plural pianojn)

1. (music) piano

Derived terms

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian piano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpiɑno/,
• Rhymes: -iɑno
• Syllabification^(key): pi‧a‧no

Noun

piano

1. (music) piano

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “piano”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Anagrams

• apoin, paino, paoin, pinoa, ponia

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian piano. Doublet of plain and plan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pja.no/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

piano m (plural pianos)

1. (music) piano

   Il joue du piano avec compétence.

   He plays the piano competently.

   • 1986, “Il était une fois … une maison des musiciens [There Once Was… a House of Musicians]”, in Il était une fois … une petite grenouille [There Once Was… a Little Frog] (fiction), Paris: CLE International:

     Je n’aime pas le piano. Je préfère le football.
     Hein ! Quoi ! Et tu me dis ça à moi, le grand professeur Trompette ? Tiens ! Répète ta leçon cinq fois ! Non, dix fois !
     Je déteste le piano !

     I don’t like the piano. I like football more.
     Huh? What? And you’re telling that to me, the great professor Trumpet? Alright then! Repeat what you’ve learned five times! No, ten times!
     I hate the piano!

Derived terms

• piano à queue
• piano droit

Descendants

→ Turkish: piyano

Further reading

• “piano”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin plānus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpja.no/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: pià‧no

Adjective

piano (feminine piana, masculine plural piani, feminine plural piane, superlative pianissimo)

1. plane
2. flat, level

   Synonym: piatto

3. plain
4. soft

   Antonym: forte

5. penultimate accented

Derived terms

• pianamente

See also

• levigato
• liscio

Noun

piano m (plural piani)

1. plane
2. floor, storey (British), story (US) (of a building)
3. plan, tactic, stratagem, scheme, plot
4. (music) piano, as short for pianoforte

Synonyms

• progetto
• proposito

Adverb

piano (superlative pianissimo)

1. slowly
2. carefully
3. (music) piano

Related terms

Further reading

• piano¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• piano² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• piano³ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Etymology 2

From Pio +‎ -ano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈa.no/
• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: pi‧à‧no

Adjective

piano (feminine piana, masculine plural piani, feminine plural piane)

1. (relational) of any of the popes named Pius; Pian

   Ordine Piano ― Pian Order, Order of Pope Pius IX

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.a.no/
• Rhymes: -iano
• Hyphenation: pì‧a‧no

Verb

piano

1. third-person plural present indicative of piare (“to chirp, to cheep”)

Anagrams

• opina, paion

Japanese

Romanization

piano

1. Rōmaji transcription of ピアノ

Malay

Noun

piano (Jawi spelling ڤيانو, plural piano-piano, informal 1st possessive pianoku, 2nd possessive pianomu, 3rd possessive pianonya)

1. piano

Further reading

• “piano” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Marshallese

Etymology

Borrowed from English piano, short form of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte, from piano (“soft”) + forte (“strong”). The Italian word piano is from Latin plānus, from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-.

Pronunciation

• (phonetic) IPA^(key): , (enunciated)
• (phonemic) IPA^(key): /pʲijæɰnʲɛw/
• Bender phonemes: {piyahnew}

Noun

piano (construct form pianoin)

1. a piano

Verb

piano (person noun ri-piano)

1. to play the piano

References

• Marshallese–English Online Dictionary

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English piano and French piano.

Noun

piano m (plural pianos)

1. (Jersey, music) piano

Derived terms

• pianiste (“pianist”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

piano

Wikipedia ^no

Noun

piano n (definite singular pianoet, indefinite plural piano or pianoer, definite plural pianoa or pianoene)

1. (music) piano

Related terms

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

piano

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

piano n (definite singular pianoet, indefinite plural piano, definite plural pianoa)

1. (music) piano

Related terms

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpja.nɔ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -anɔ
• Syllabification: pia‧no

Noun

piano f

1. vocative singular of piana

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian piano, short form of pianoforte. Doublet of plano, chão, and porão.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐnu, (Brazil) -ɐ̃nu
• Hyphenation: pi‧a‧no

Adjective

piano

1. piano

Adverb

piano

1. (music) piano, soft
2. (music) piano, slowly

Noun

piano m (plural pianos)

1. (music) piano

Derived terms

• pianista

Descendants

• → Hunsrik: Piano

References

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian piano.

Adverb

piano

1. piano

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpianɔ/

Adverb

piano

1. musical directive to play softly

Noun

piano n (genitive singular piana, nominative plural pianá, genitive plural pián, declension pattern of mesto)

1. (music) piano

   Synonym: klavír

2. a very soft sound

Declension

Further reading

• “piano”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Spanish

Etymology

Clipping of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjano/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: pia‧no

Noun

piano m (plural pianos)

1. (music) piano

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Tagalog: piyano
• → Waray-Waray: piyano

Further reading

• “piano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swahili

Swahili Wikipedia has an article on:

piano

Wikipedia ^sw

Etymology

Borrowed from English piano.

Noun

piano (n class, plural piano)

1. piano

Swedish

Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:

piano

Wikipedia ^sv

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

piano (not comparable)

1. (music) piano

Noun

piano n

1. (music) a piano

Declension

Derived terms

• fortepiano
• spikpiano
• ta det piano

See also

• flygel
• klaverinstrument

References

• piano in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• piano in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• piano in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Veps

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

piano

1. (music) piano

Inflection

References

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “пианино”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎, Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English piano.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈpjano/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈpja(ː)no/
• Rhymes: -ano

Noun

piano f (plural pianoau or pianos)

1. (music) piano, pianoforte

Mutation

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “piano”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies