pizzicato

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“
He invented the tremolo and the pizzicato, and originated the vocal duet.

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Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. adjective Played by plucking rather than bowing the strings.
  2. noun A pizzicato note or passage.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (3)

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Examples (50)

  • Every now and then came a pizzicato, when I rattled the keys well; I was in my best humor. —  The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vol.1.
  • No feeling in the Debussy pizzicato, says Soapy Soapy knows too much Soapy knows a lot more than some I could mention, schooling or no schooling. —  The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh
  • Instead of an interlude cut through with dissonance and chaos, there's syncopated horn, pizzicato, and high organ. —  PopMatters
  • It happened that Paganini did not bring his Violin with him, but borrowed one from a member of the orchestra, and, instead of playing, made a kind of pizzicato obbligato_. —  The Violin Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators
  • When playing upon a soft combination on the Great, the organist may draw the Swell to Great "pizzicato" coupler. —  The Recent Revolution in Organ Building Being an Account of Modern Developments
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This word has been looked up 46 times.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Italian, past participle of pizzicare, to pluck, from pizzare, to prick, from pizzo, point.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Italian, twitched, nipped, past participle of pizzicare, twitch, nip, pinch: see pinch.
 

Pronunciations
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/pɪtsɪˈkɑtə/
by American Heritage

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