1. A keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
   "She practised her sonata on the piano";
   - pianoforte, forte-piano
    
2. (music) low loudness
   "The violinist's piano passage was so soft it was barely audible";
   - pianissimo

1. (used chiefly as a direction or description in music) soft; in a quiet, subdued tone
   "the piano passages in the composition";
   - soft

1. Used as a direction in music; to be played relatively softly
   "The violinist played the passage piano, creating a delicate atmosphere";
   - softly

Derived forms: pianos

See also: pianissimo, pianissimo assai

Type of: keyboard instrument, percussion instrument, percussive instrument, softness, stringed instrument

Antonym: forte

Encyclopedia: Piano, Upper Corsica