pizzicato
1 of 2noun
piz·zi·ca·to ˌpit-si-ˈkä-(ˌ)tō 
plural pizzicati ˌpit-si-ˈkä-(ˌ)tē
: a note or passage played by plucking strings
pizzicato
2 of 2adverb or adjective
: by means of plucking instead of bowing —used as a direction in music compare arco
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Its bustle of puffing trumpets and pizzicato strings were cut by entrancing interjections of oboe. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 The pause—punctuated by three widely separated pizzicato chords—feels like a chasm. Geoffrey O’brien, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2022 The later pizzicato reprise also was a delight, Thomas playing with the orchestra’s dimensionality in exciting ways. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 Bobbing heads dotted the audience through the scherzo, its pizzicato stretch particularly beguiling. Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2022 The wine imagery continues in the music itself — a pizzicato chord signals a cork popping, and further passages depict subsequent tastes of the wine. San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2021 Korngold puts the strings through their paces, tasking them with an array including churning melodies, extended pizzicato work, a poignant chorale, and an aggressive finale. Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 20 June 2021 This one stands out not just for the energy of its concluding dance, but also the third movement, where Telemann gives the melody to the organ, while the cello picks out the bass line in pizzicato. E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020 See More
Noun
Both Greensmith and violist Jonathan Vinocour were impressive in their ability to blend and drive through unison tremolos and pizzicato passages. Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Its bustle of puffing trumpets and pizzicato strings were cut by entrancing interjections of oboe. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 The pause—punctuated by three widely separated pizzicato chords—feels like a chasm. Geoffrey O’brien, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2022 The later pizzicato reprise also was a delight, Thomas playing with the orchestra’s dimensionality in exciting ways. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 Bobbing heads dotted the audience through the scherzo, its pizzicato stretch particularly beguiling. Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2022 The wine imagery continues in the music itself — a pizzicato chord signals a cork popping, and further passages depict subsequent tastes of the wine. San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2021 Korngold puts the strings through their paces, tasking them with an array including churning melodies, extended pizzicato work, a poignant chorale, and an aggressive finale. Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 20 June 2021 This one stands out not just for the energy of its concluding dance, but also the third movement, where Telemann gives the melody to the organ, while the cello picks out the bass line in pizzicato. E.c., The Economist, 21 May 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Adverb or adjective
Italian, past participle of pizzicare to pluck
First Known Use
Noun
1790, in the meaning defined above
Adverb Or Adjective
circa 1771, in the meaning defined above