piano

piano — noun

1. a keyboard instrument whose keys make notes by sending small hammers against str

1.nounA2
Definition

a keyboard instrument whose keys make notes by sending small hammers against strings inside it.

Example

Rita practises the piano for thirty minutes before school each day.

pattern: practise / play the piano

An old piano stood by the window, and children pressed its keys after lunch.

Common collocations
  • play the piano
  • practise the piano
  • sit at the piano
  • piano keys
  • piano lesson
Synonyms
  • pianoforte

    the older full name; now formal or historical

  • keyboard

    broader; often refers to an electronic instrument, not necessarily an acoustic piano

  • electric piano

    a related instrument with a similar playing role, but electronic rather than string-based

Grammar Patterns

play the piano

practise the piano

sit at the piano

Usage Note

Usually used with verbs such as play, practise, tune, and sit at. When you mean the skill, learner English normally uses 'play the piano' or 'learn the piano' rather than leaving out the article.

Common Mistakes

My sister is learning a piano.
My sister is learning the piano.
when you mean the skill, English uses 'learn the piano', not 'a piano'.
He played piano at the wedding.
He played the piano at the wedding.
'play the piano' is the normal pattern for performing on the instrument.

piano — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Piano' is the everyday word for the familiar keyboard instrument with strings and hammers inside. 'Keyboard' is broader and often means an electronic instrument used in pop music, so not every keyboard is a piano. 'Pianoforte' is the older full name and now sounds formal or historical. An 'organ' also has keys, but its sound comes from pipes or electronics, and notes can be held in a different way. A 'synthesizer' is electronic and is chosen for created sounds rather than the natural tone of a piano. If Ella practises scales on an upright at home, she plays the piano; if she takes a light portable instrument to a concert, she may be using a keyboard or synthesizer.

piano ↗keyboard ↗pianoforteorgan ↗synthesizer

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

English took this word from Italian. In music, Italian piano means 'soft'. The instrument was originally called pianoforte, later shortened to piano in English. That longer Italian name meant 'soft-loud' because the instrument could produce both quiet and loud notes, unlike older keyboard instruments.