pianissimo
1 of 2adverb or adjective
pi·a·nis·si·mo ˌpē-ə-ˈni-sə-ˌmō 
: very softly —used as a direction in music
pianissimo
2 of 2noun
ˌpē-ə-ˈni-sə-(ˌ)mē
plural pianissimi or pianissimos
: a passage played, sung, or spoken very softly
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 1 Sep. 2021 The air was perfumed, and from somewhere overhead, a melody was playing, pianissimo. Te-ping Chen, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2020 Forget about pianissimo's complexity; only at Alexa's top volume can the notes even be heard. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020 Her fortissimos were what we’d consider mezzo-fortes from most violinists; some pianissimos were shaded down to near inaudibility. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 9 Feb. 2020 The music conveys the plot in a vivid fashion, moving from mysterious pianissimos to quirky, off-balance passages and forceful climaxes. Jessica Rudman, courant.com, 7 Dec. 2019 The crucial thing in terms of looking at the score is this pianissimo for the bottom two staves. Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2017 His sound is sweet, burnished and perfectly controlled, with a gorgeous pianissimo that is feathery but distinct. Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register, 3 Feb. 2017 See More
Noun
Rorem’s is a simple and ingenious song — which allows Price to float a high pianissimo, at the end, forever. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 1 Sep. 2021 The air was perfumed, and from somewhere overhead, a melody was playing, pianissimo. Te-ping Chen, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2020 Forget about pianissimo's complexity; only at Alexa's top volume can the notes even be heard. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020 Her fortissimos were what we’d consider mezzo-fortes from most violinists; some pianissimos were shaded down to near inaudibility. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 9 Feb. 2020 The music conveys the plot in a vivid fashion, moving from mysterious pianissimos to quirky, off-balance passages and forceful climaxes. Jessica Rudman, courant.com, 7 Dec. 2019 The crucial thing in terms of looking at the score is this pianissimo for the bottom two staves. Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2017 His sound is sweet, burnished and perfectly controlled, with a gorgeous pianissimo that is feathery but distinct. Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register, 3 Feb. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Adverb or adjective
Italian, from piano softly
First Known Use
Adverb Or Adjective
circa 1710, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1781, in the meaning defined above