pianissimo

English

pianissimo in music notation

Etymology

From Italian pianissimo.

Adverb

pianissimo (comparative more pianissimo, superlative most pianissimo)

1. (music) To be played very softly.

Translations

very soft

• French: pianissimo (fr)
• Galician: pianíssimo (gl)
• Hebrew: פְּיָאנִיסִימוֹ (p'yanísimo)
• Italian: pianissimo (it)
• Russian: пиани́ссимо (ru) (pianíssimo), пьяни́ссимо (pʹjaníssimo)
• Spanish: pianissimo

Noun

pianissimo (plural pianissimos or pianissimi)

1. A dynamic sign indicating that a portion of music should be played pianissimo.
2. A portion of music that is played very softly.

Synonyms

• pp

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pianissimo (“very softly”).

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Noun

pianissimo m (plural pianissimos)

1. (music) pianissimo

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pianissimo (“very softly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pja.ni.si.mo/

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Noun

pianissimo m (plural pianissimos or pianissimi)

1. (music) pianissimo

Further reading

• “pianissimo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

From piano +‎ -issimo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pjaˈnis.si.mo/
• Rhymes: -issimo
• Hyphenation: pia‧nìs‧si‧mo

Adjective

pianissimo (feminine pianissima, masculine plural pianissimi, feminine plural pianissime)

1. superlative degree of piano

Adverb

pianissimo

1. superlative degree of piano (“softly, slowly”)

   Antonym: fortissimo

2. (music) pianissimo

Descendants

• → Catalan: pianissimo
• → English: pianissimo
• → French: pianissimo
• → Portuguese: pianissimo
• → Romanian: pianissimo
• → Spanish: pianissimo

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• pianíssimo

Etymology

From Italian pianissimo (“very softly”).

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Noun

pianissimo m (plural pianissimos)

1. (music) pianissimo

Romanian

Alternative forms

• pianisimo

Etymology

Italian pianissimo (“very softly”).

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Spanish

Alternative forms

• pianísimo

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian pianissimo (“very softly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pjaˈnisimo/ [pjaˈni.si.mo]
• Rhymes: -isimo

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Noun

pianissimo m (plural pianissimos)

1. (music) pianissimo

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.