Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Piano

‖

Pi-a′no

Adj.

adv.

[It., even, smooth, soft, fr. L.

planus

even, level.]

(Mus.)

Soft; – a direction to the performer to execute a certain passage softly, and with diminished volume of tone. (Abbrev.

)

{

Pi-an′o

Pi-an′o-forˊte

, }

Noun.

[It.

piano

soft (fr. L.

planus

even, smooth; see

Plain

Adj.

) + It.

forte

strong, fr. L.

fortis

(see

Fort

).]

(Mus.)

A well-known musical instrument somewhat resembling the harpsichord, and consisting of a series of wires of graduated length, thickness, and tension, struck by hammers moved by keys.

Dumb piano

See

Digitorium

–

Grand piano

See under

Grand

–

Square piano

one with a horizontal frame and an oblong case.

–

Upright piano

one with an upright frame and vertical wires.

Definition 2025

Piano

See also: piano, pianó, píanó, and pi-a-nô

German

Piano

Noun

Piano n ‎(genitive Pianos, plural Pianos)

piano (a keyboard musical instrument)

Declension

Declension of Piano

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Piano	die	Pianos
genitive	eines	des	Pianos	der	Pianos
dative	einem	dem	Piano	den	Pianos
accusative	einen	den	Piano	die	Pianos

Synonyms

Klavier

piano

See also: Piano, pianó, piáno, and píanó

English

Noun

piano ‎(plural pianos or piani)

An upright piano

A grand piano

(music) A keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.

The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.

She has been taking lessons for many years and now plays piano very well.

He can play "Happy Birthday" on the piano.

Most of the works by Frédéric Chopin are for the piano.

Synonyms

pianoforte (dated)

Coordinate terms

(keyboard instrument): cembalo, clavier, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer, synth

Derived terms

terms derived from the noun piano

Translations

a keyboard musical instrument

Albanian: piano (sq) f
Arabic: بِيَانُو m ‎(biyānō)
Armenian: դաշնամուր (hy) ‎(dašnamur)
Asturian: pianu m
Azeri: piano (az), fortepiano, pianino, royal (az)
Belarusian: фартэпія́на n ‎(fartepijána)
Bengali: পিয়ানো ‎(piyano)
Bulgarian: пиа́но n ‎(piáno)
Burmese: စန္ဒရား (my) ‎(canda.ra:)
Catalan: piano (ca) m
Cherokee: ᎤᏔᏅ ᏗᎧᏃᎩᏍᏗ ‎(utanv dikanogisdi), ᏗᏂᏤᎷᎯᏍᎩ ‎(dinitseluhisgi)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 鋼琴 ‎(gong³ kam⁴)

Mandarin: 鋼琴 (zh), 钢琴 (zh) ‎(gāngqín)
Cornish: piano m
Czech: klavír (cs) m, piáno n, břinkotruhla f
Danish: klaver (da) n
Dutch: piano (nl) m
Esperanto: piano (eo)
Estonian: klaver
Finnish: piano (fi); flyygeli (fi) (grand piano)
French: piano (fr) m
Galician: piano (gl) m
Georgian: ფორტეპიანო (ka) ‎(porṭeṗiano), პიანინო (ka) ‎(ṗianino)
German: Klavier (de) n, Piano (de) n
Greek: πιάνο (el) n ‎(piáno), κλειδοκύμβαλο (el) n ‎(kleidokýmvalo)
Greenlandic: klaveri
Guaraní: kuãytasã ‎(mahāvādya)
Hebrew: פְּסַנְתֵּר (he) m ‎(p'santér)
Hindi: पियानो (hi) m ‎(piyāno), महावाद्य ‎(mahāvādya)
Hungarian: zongora (hu)
Icelandic: píanó (is) n, slagharpa (is) f, fortepíanó n
Irish: pianó m
Italian: pianoforte (it) m, piano (it) m
Japanese: ピアノ (ja) ‎(piano)
Kazakh: фортепиано ‎(fortepïano), күйсандық ‎(küysandıq)
Khmer: ព្យាណូ ‎(pyienoo)
Korean: 피아노 (ko) ‎(piano)
Kyrgyz: пианино ‎(pianino)
Lao: ປີອາໂນ ‎(pī 'ā nō)
Latin: clavile n
Latvian: klavieres (lv) f pl

Lithuanian: pianinas (lt)
Lojban: pipno
Macedonian: пија́но n ‎(pijáno), клави́р m ‎(klavír)
Malay: piano
Maori: piana
Marathi: पियानो m ‎(piyāno)
Mongolian: төгөлдөр хуур ‎(tögöldör huur)
Nahuatl: pianotli (nah)
Navajo: biwooʼ hólóní, dilní náníltąshígíí
Norman: piano m
North Frisian: (Föhr-Amrum) klawiar n
Norwegian: piano (no) n
Persian: پیانو (fa) ‎(piyâno)
Polish: pianino (pl) n, fortepian (pl) m
Portuguese: piano (pt) m
Quechua: yatana qallwa
Romanian: pian (ro) n
Russian: пиани́но (ru) n ‎(pianíno), фортепиа́но (ru) n ‎(fortɛpiáno), роя́ль (ru) m ‎(rojálʹ) (grand piano)
Scottish Gaelic: piàna m
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: клавир m

Roman: klavir (sh) m
Slovak: klavír m
Slovene: klavir (sl) m
Spanish: piano (es) m
Swahili: kinanda (sw), piano (sw)
Swedish: piano (sv) n
Tagalog: piyano
Tajik: пианино ‎(pianino)
Tamil: பியானோ ‎(piyāṉō), கின்னரப்பெட்டி ‎(kiṉṉarappeṭṭi)
Thai: เปียโน (th) ‎(bpiia-noo)
Turkish: piyano (tr)
Turkmen: pianino, roýal
Ukrainian: фортепіа́но (uk) n ‎(fortepiáno)
Urdu: پیانو m ‎(piyāno)
Uzbek: pianino (uz)
Vietnamese: dương cầm (vi)
Volapük: pianod (vo)
Welsh: piano m, perdoneg m, f
Yiddish: פּיאַנע f ‎(pyane), קלאַוויר m ‎(klavir)
Zulu: iPiyano (zu)

Adjective

piano ‎(comparative more piano, superlative most piano)

(music) Soft, quiet.
In extended use; quiet, subdued.
- 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, page 160:
  ‘Tradecraft, Chris,’ Enderby put in, who liked his bit of jargon, and Martindale, still piano, shot him a glance of admiration.

Adverb

Piano notation.

piano ‎(not comparable)

(music) Softly, as a musical direction (abbreviated to p. in sheet music). [from 17th c.]

Related terms

Translations

music: softly

Chinese:
Mandarin:
Finnish: piano (fi), hiljaa (fi)
German: piano (de)
Icelandic: veikur (is)
Italian: piano (it)

Portuguese: piano (pt)
Russian: пиа́но (ru) ‎(piáno)
Slovak: piano
Spanish: piano (es)

Albanian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /piˈanɔ/

Noun

piano f (indefinite plural piano, definite singular pianoja, definite plural pianot)

piano

Azeri

Other scripts
Cyrillic	пиано
Roman	piano
Perso-Arabic

Etymology

From Italian piano.