Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. In a very soft or quiet tone. Used chiefly as a direction.
- n. A part of a composition played very softly or quietly.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In music, very soft; with the minimum of force or loudness. Usually abbreviated pp or ppp.
Wiktionary
- adv. music The musical term indicating that the piece (or a section of it) should be played very softly.
- n. A dynamic sign indicating that a portion of music should be played pianissimo.
- n. A portion of music that is played very softly.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. (Mus.) Very soft; -- a direction to execute a passage as softly as possible. (Abbrev.
pp .)
WordNet 3.0
- adv. a direction in music; to be played very softly
- n. (music) low loudness
- adj. chiefly a direction or description in music; very soft
Etymologies
- Italian, superlative of piano, soft; see piano2. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Page view page image: in character when played piano or mezzo-forte; the flute also, in its lowest register, recalls the pianissimo trumpet tone.”
“This is precisely what Rubinstein did, and his pianissimo was a whisper.”
“She handles everything from piercing to pianissimo with ease and has just enough edge in her voice for this kind of Verdi role.”
“He plays so "pianissimo" it can seem like he's merely breathing on the keyboard rather than actually touching it.”
The Wall Street Journal: The Jazz Scene: Pay Attention to the Words
“Pile on the pianissimo and postpone the pizzazz.”
The Guardian: The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women by James Ellroy – review
“Cendrillon is gentle, serious and love-struck, with some deliciously high, floating lines which had DiDonato at her pianissimo best.”
“And two of his last three sonatas end with pianissimo—extremely softly.”
“He can be strong, passionate and powerful – but he can also make love to you with a pianissimo.”
“Two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, timpani and the strings present the first phrase — marked pianissimo.”
The Wall Street Journal: The Splendid Start to a Farewell to Opera
“For all its rambunctious energy, Rossini's music is full of subtle details here, especially in the contrasting middle section in C-sharp minor — pianissimo again — dominated by a rushing line of wordless patter for the first violins with soft woodwind and string accompaniment.”
The Wall Street Journal: The Splendid Start to a Farewell to Opera
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pianissimo’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Gesundheit
Words that sound like sneezes
zucchini, zoology, wysiwyg, woodchuck, withhold, wichita, vacuum, twelfth, syzygy, synchronous, swatch, supersede and 120 more...
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MUSIC - ALL TERMS
With focus on non-classical styles, but not excluding terms of the latter.
banjo, accompaniment, acoustic bass, bass guitar, bass clef, ground, brass, cornet, Mute, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, arrangement and 866 more...
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Knee Deep in Chic
Words, prose, bon mots, and literary styles that cause a contagious enthusiasm by its very existence. They can be muses to a story. rekindling the spark that went out. The cure-all elixir to a bla...
euphuism, quiddity, saudade, zugzwang, razbliuto, parti pris, oleaginous, crevasse, chantepleure, chiaroscuro, prestidigitation, dysphemism and 79 more...
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the most beautiful
velvet, wainwright, susurrous, nutmeg, pegasus, tintinnabular, gossamer, lyricism, rococo, townlet, prince, nymph and 139 more...
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good ones
grumble, fumble, bumble, stumble, crumble, mumble, jumble, humble, bramble, scramble, amble, ramble and 191 more...
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hedges's Words
wii, crepuscule, adumbrate, concatenation, sufi, qawwali, furry, riot, mellifluous, conspiracy, etymology, tea cozy and 369 more...
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curligirli0's Words
crapulous, swish, shiatsu, zen, xenoglossy, nincompoop, loquacious, pianissimo, onomatopoeia, imperturbable, silky, hosanas and 379 more...
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mandarine's Words
antepenultimate, metonymy, synecdoche, pop, kern, inherit, clique, scrumptious, macerate, murmur, kerning, veranda and 1068 more...
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Beautiful Music
a cappella, accelerando, accompagnato, adagio, ad libitum, agitato, aleatory, alla breve, allegro, allemande, alto, andante and 548 more...
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merfee's Words
supple, dichotomy, relish, rhapsody, pneumonoultramicr..., embrace, ishmael, ebullient, recalcitrant, elegy, char, lugubrious and 522 more...
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State Spelling Bee 2011
Words from the California State Spelling Bee in 2011, from which I got fourth place.
cymbidium, jurisprudence, entourage, cauterize, dressage, roux, pomaceous, malfeasance, jactitation, eclogue, caryotid, obloquy and 126 more...
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Kaichi's Wordie Darlings, or I'm a Lo...
persnickety, discombobulated, braggadoccio, anthropomorphous, antelucan, confluxible, anomalous, poseur, gallivant, poppycock, falderal, gewgaw and 705 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, P
pellucid, pertain, pampas, prate, pinecone, philistine, pantocrator, papaverine, postmeridian, potlatch, pharology, pinniped and 622 more...
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MacBean's Words
verisimilitude, antediluvian, schadenfreude, eviscerate, exsanguinate, onomatopoeia, aesthetic, apocryphal, aubergine, byronic, brouhaha, bordello and 523 more...
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vnilla's Words
mellifluous, lackadaisical, effervescent, languorous, lilting, juxtapose, coalesce, desideratum, fey, intrinsic, languid, luminous and 134 more...
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