Piano Meaning
/ˈpjænəʊ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.
verbTo play the piano.
Sentence Examples
He plays the piano very well.
You should practice playing the piano regularly.
She sold her car and bought a piano with the proceeds.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
She practiced on the ____ every day, pressing the keys to improve her finger technique.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She practiced the ____ for two hours every evening after school, determined to master the sonata.
Word Origin & History
Clipping of pianoforte, from Italian pianoforte, from piano (“soft”) + forte (“strong”). So named because it could produce a wide range of varied volumes note-by-note, in contrast to older keyboard instruments, notably the harpsichord. Doublet of llano, plain, and plane.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Anyhow I pianoed to my own ear, and had no thought at that time for an audience."
— 1967, Harry F. Chaplin, A McCrae Miscellany, page 41:
"Who comforted me with Madeleines and lime tea, with whipped cream in my cocoa in far off Ann Arbor while others selfishly fiddled, bassooned, pianoed only for their own ugly self-advancement!"
— 1978, Bertha Harris, Confessions of Cherubino, page 96:
"John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Arnold Weinstein, and others came to the house, taping their poems as I pianoed and zithered and drummed away."
— 2008, John Gruen, Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too!, page 138:
"We guitared and drummed and head banged and pianoed."
— 2020, Becky Manawatu, Auē, page 139:
"He just stared at her, leaned back in his chair and pianoed his fingers along the tablecloth."
— 2013, Ann Blair Kloman, A Diamond to Die For, page 29:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She practiced on the ____ every day, pressing the keys to improve her finger technique.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She practiced the ____ for two hours every evening after school, determined to master the sonata.