Word of the Day 1.1.09
staccato
stac·ca·to (st
-kä
t
)
adj.
1. Music Cut short crisply; detached: staccato octaves.
2. Marked by or composed of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds: staccato applause.
n. pl. stac·ca·tos or stac·ca·ti (-t
)
A staccato manner or sound.
[Italian, past participle of staccare, to detach, short for distaccare, from obsolete French destacher, from Old French destachier; see detach.]
stac·cato adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| Adj. | 1. | staccato – (music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply; “staccato applause”; “a staccato command”; “staccato notes”
music – an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
|
| Adv. | 1. | staccato – separating the notes; in music; “play this staccato, please”
legato – connecting the notes; in music; “play this legato, please”
|