pianissimo

English

pianissimo in music notation

Etymology

From Italian pianissimo.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpi.əˈnɪsɪməʊ/, /ˌpi.əˈnɪsəməʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpi.əˈnɪsɪmoʊ/, /ˌpi.əˈnɪsəmoʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɪsɪməʊ, -ɪsəməʊ

Adverb

pianissimo (comparative more pianissimo, superlative most pianissimo)

1. (music) Indicating that the piece is to be played very softly.

Translations

very softly

• French: pianissimo (fr)
• Galician: pianíssimo (gl)
• Hebrew: פְּיָאנִיסִימוֹ (p'yanísimo)
• Indonesian: pianissimo
• Italian: pianissimo (it)
• Japanese: ピアニッシモ (ja) (pianisshimo)
• 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.
   • 1984 December 29, Charles Henry Fuller, “Music For The Holidays”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25:

     If the Randall Thompson Alleluia lacked the otherworldly awe and mystery the composer intended, the BGMC offered a fair accounting of the work with some wonderfully hushed pianissimos and clearly delineated contrasts in mood.

Synonyms

• pp

Derived terms

• pianississimo

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 (France (Lyon)):

  (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.

Indonesian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian pianissimo.

Adverb

pianissimo

1. (music) pianissimo

Further reading

• “pianissimo”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

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.