staccato

Meanings

Plural: staccati, staccatos

Adjective

(music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply
- "staccato applause"
- "a staccato command"
- "staccato notes"

Adverb

separating the notes; in music
- "play this staccato, please"

Noun

An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
A passage having this mark.
Any sound resembling a musical staccato.

Adv

played in this style

Adj

Describing a passage having this mark.
Made up of abruptly disconnected parts or sounds.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Italian staccato (“detached, disconnected”), past participle of staccare (“to detach, separate”), aphetic variant of distaccare (“to separate, detach”), from Middle French destacher (“to detach”), from Old French destachier (“to detach”), from des- + atachier (“to attach”), alteration of estachier (“to fasten with or to a stake, lay claim to”), from estache (“a stake”), from Low Frankish *stakkā (“stake”), from Proto-Germanic *stakkaz, *stakô (“stick, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“stick, stake”). Akin to Old High German stecko (“post”) (German Stecken (“stick”)), Old Saxon stekko (“stake”), Old Norse stakkr (“hay stack, heap”), Old English staca (“stake”). More at stake.

Synonyms

disconnected

Antonyms

legato

Scrabble Score: 12

staccato is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
staccato is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
staccato is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

staccato is a valid Words With Friends word