staccato

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Music Cut short crisply; detached: staccato octaves.
2. adj. Marked by or composed of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds: staccato applause.
3. n. A staccato manner or sound.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. In music, detached; disconnected; abrupt; separated from one another by slight pauses: used both of single tones in a melody and of chords: opposed to legato. Three grades of staccato are sometimes recognized—the slightest being marked by dots over or under the notes with a sweeping curve , the next by dots without the curve , and the greatest by pointed strokes instead of dots . In each case something is subtracted from the duration of each note, and given to a rest or silence. On keyboard-instruments like the pianoforte and organ, a staccato effect is produced by a variation of the usual touch in the action either of the fingers, of the wrist, or of the forearm; in bow-instruments like the violin, by an abrupt detached motion of the bow, or by a springing bow; in wind-instruments, by stopping the mouthpiece with the tongue (sometimes called tonguing); and in the voice, either by a detached action of the breath or by a closing of the glottis. The word is also used sometimes to note an abrupt emphatic style of speaking or writing.
2. n. In music, the act, process, or result of singing or playing on an instrument in a staccato manner.

Wiktionary

1. n. music An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
2. n. music A passage having this mark.
3. adv. music played in this style
4. adj. music describing a passage having this mark
5. adj. Made up of abruptly disconnected parts or sounds.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. (Mus.) Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.
2. adj. Expressed in a brief, pointed manner.

WordNet 3.0

1. adv. separating the notes; in music
2. adj. (music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply