with half the power of the voice (used as a musical direction)
Abbreviation: m.v.
Word origin
[1765–75; ‹ It]This word is first recorded in the period 1765–75. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: backwash, copperhead, guidance, pile driver, statement
Examples of 'mezza voce' in a sentence
mezza voce
Only an Old Servant could maintain such correctness, only a trained baritone could produce such a resonant mezza voce.
Penelope Fitzgerald HUMAN VOICES (2003)
It was so easy to pull my voice back and sing mezza voce [literally, half-voice], which is now much more secure.