piano
1 of 2adverb or adjective
pi·a·no pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō 
: at a soft volume : soft —used as a direction in music
piano
2 of 2noun
pi·ano pē-ˈa-(ˌ)nō
also
-ˈä- plural pianos
: a musical instrument having steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard
Example Sentences
Noun Do you play the piano? He takes piano lessons on Wednesdays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 The options list even includes a piano that emerges from the paneling. Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2022 For a good chunk of her Chromatica Ball tour stop at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Lady Gaga was just a girl on a piano in the middle of a baseball field surrounded by 52,000 of her closest friends. Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 13 Sep. 2022 In the background, her Grammy, Oscar and Emmy statues sit on a baby grand piano. Amanda Taylor, Peoplemag, 26 Aug. 2022 But humans couldn’t hear that note because its frequency was too low - the equivalent to a B-flat, some 57 octaves below the middle C note of a piano, according to NASA. Annabelle Timsit, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Aug. 2022 Tortilla Man playing a toy piano in an empty garden in the middle of the night. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2022 The track is piano-led and features an elaborate beat played by drummer Bryan Devendorf, as frontman Matt Berninger sings about grief, old memories and letting go. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2022 Whispery tinkling piano keys or acoustic guitar strums that erupt into mounting vocals and crunching guitars, singers with eyes screwed shut, unleashing their guts. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2022 See More
Noun
Turn left at Descanso Drive to find the Descanso Staircase, which leads you to the 133 Music Box Steps, named after the 1932 Laurel and Hardy film, in which the duo try to lift a piano up the steps. Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 The options list even includes a piano that emerges from the paneling. Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2022 For a good chunk of her Chromatica Ball tour stop at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Lady Gaga was just a girl on a piano in the middle of a baseball field surrounded by 52,000 of her closest friends. Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 13 Sep. 2022 In the background, her Grammy, Oscar and Emmy statues sit on a baby grand piano. Amanda Taylor, Peoplemag, 26 Aug. 2022 But humans couldn’t hear that note because its frequency was too low - the equivalent to a B-flat, some 57 octaves below the middle C note of a piano, according to NASA. Annabelle Timsit, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Aug. 2022 Tortilla Man playing a toy piano in an empty garden in the middle of the night. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2022 The track is piano-led and features an elaborate beat played by drummer Bryan Devendorf, as frontman Matt Berninger sings about grief, old memories and letting go. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2022 Whispery tinkling piano keys or acoustic guitar strums that erupt into mounting vocals and crunching guitars, singers with eyes screwed shut, unleashing their guts. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2022 See More 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
Phrases Containing piano
Kids Definition
piano
noun
pi·a·no pē-ˈa-nō
plural pianos
: a keyboard instrument having steel wire strings that make a sound when struck by hammers covered with felt
Biographical Definition
Piano
biographical name
Pi·a·no pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō
Renzo 1937– Italian architect