# piano

Pronunciation: US say "pee-A-noh" /piˈænoʊ/; UK say "PYA-noh" /ˈpjænəʊ/

## Noun

1. A keyboard instrument with white and black keys that, when pressed, drive hammers against strings to produce notes, usually spanning about seven octaves.
   - Simple: A large musical instrument with black and white keys that you press to make sounds.
   - _The concert hall's grand piano had just been tuned._
   - _He learned three pieces on the piano before the recital._

## Adverb

Pronunciation: say "pee-AH-noh" US /piˈɑnoʊ/, UK /piˈɑːnəʊ/

2. Softly, as a dynamic marking that tells a musician to play quietly.
   - Simple: In a soft, quiet way when playing music.
   - _The conductor asked the violins to play the opening piano._
   - _Marked piano, the second verse fades almost to a whisper._

## Adjective

Pronunciation: say "pee-AH-noh" US /piˈɑnoʊ/, UK /piˈɑːnəʊ/

3. Soft and quiet, especially as a quality of musical sound.
   - Simple: Soft and quiet, like gentle music.
   - _The orchestra's piano opening barely rose above silence._
   - _The conductor asked the strings to keep the opening bars piano._

## Verb

4. To supply or fit out a place with a piano.
   - Simple: To put a piano into a place.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To perform music on a piano.
- (adjective) Gentle, soft, and subdued in manner or quality.
- (verb) To move the fingers up and down on a surface, like the motions of someone playing a piano.
- (verb) To die down in volume or force, growing gentler and less intense.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 4** — A clipping of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte, combining piano ('soft') and forte ('strong'). It was named this way because it could play many different volumes note by note, unlike older keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord.
**Meanings 2–3** — From Italian piano.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/piano (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).