n., pl., -os.
A musical instrument with a manual keyboard actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals.
[Italian, short for pianoforte. See pianoforte.]
pi·a·no2 (pē-ä'nō, pyä'-) Music.
adv. & adj. (Abbr. p)
In a soft or quiet tone. Used chiefly as a direction.
n., pl., -nos.
A passage to be played softly or quietly.
[Italian, from Late Latin plānus, smooth, graceful, from Latin, flat.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
