喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture the row of black and white keys, and the one thing that made this instrument new when it was invented: press gently and the sound is soft, press hard and it is loud. That word for 'soft' is where the name came from — which is why the same word also sits in sheet music as an instruction to play quietly.

可以想成：一排黑白琴鍵，還有這個樂器剛發明時最了不起的一點——輕輕按聲音就小，用力按聲音就大。義大利文裡「小聲」的那…更多收起可以想成：一排黑白琴鍵，還有這個樂器剛發明時最了不起的一點——輕輕按聲音就小，用力按聲音就大。義大利文裡「小聲」的那個字就是 piano，樂器的名字正是從這裡簡化來的；也因此同一個字會出現在樂譜上，當作「輕輕地彈」的記號。

From the word’s history

Etymonline: the instrument (1803) is a shortening of pianoforte, from the Italian description gravicembalo col piano e forte 'harpsichord with soft and loud' (c.1710, Cristofori); piano as the musical direction 'softly' (1680s) is Italian piano, from Latin planus 'flat, smooth', later 'soft'.

Etymonline 記載：樂器 piano（1803）是 pianoforte 的縮寫，而這個名字來自義大利文 gravicembalo col piano e forte「可以彈小聲也可以彈大聲的大鍵琴」（約 1710 年，Cristofori 命名）；樂譜上的 piano「輕聲地」（1680 年代）就是義大利文的 piano，上溯拉丁文 planus（平的、平滑的），後來引申為柔和。所以樂器是用它自己的能力命名的。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), entries 'piano (n.)' and 'piano (adv.)'

原始詞典資料9 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Pianoname

  • 1

    A surname from Italian.

pianonoun詞源 1/ˈpjænəʊ/

  • 1

    entertainmentlifestylemusicA percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.

    • The piano in his house takes up a lot of space.
    • She has been taking lessons for many years and now plays piano very well.

pianoverb詞源 1/ˈpjænəʊ/

  • 1

    To play the piano.

    • Anyhow I pianoed to my own ear, and had no thought at that time for an audience.
    • Who comforted me with Madeleines and lime tea, with whipped cream in my cocoa in far off Ann Arbor while others selfishly fiddled, bassooned, pianoed only for their own ugly self-advancement!
  • 2

    To move (the fingers) up and down on, similar to the motions of a pianist playing the piano.

    • He just stared at her, leaned back in his chair and pianoed his fingers along the tablecloth.
    • “Jean, it ain't right how you separated those two,” he said, and pianoed the little coffin with his fingers, tapping out his grievance.
  • 3

    To equip with a piano.

    • Other buildings will also be erected and pianoed by the same architect.
    • A tabernacle has been built, burnt, rebuilt, electric lighted, organed, pianoed, and frequently filled — all during the last two years.

pianoadv詞源 2/piˈɑːnəʊ/

  • 1

    entertainmentlifestylemusicSoftly, as a dynamic in a piece of music.

    • (abbreviation) p

pianoadj詞源 2/piˈɑːnəʊ/

  • 1

    entertainmentlifestylemusicSoft, quiet.

  • 2

    Gentle, soft, subdued.

    • “Oh! yes, yes, there is not a word to be said against James Benwick[…]that soft sort of manner does not do him justice.”[…] “Well, well, ladies are the best judges; but James Benwick is rather too piano for me[…]”
    • ‘Tradecraft, Chris,’ Enderby put in, who liked his bit of jargon, and Martindale, still piano, shot him a glance of admiration.

pianoverb詞源 2/piˈɑːnəʊ/

  • 1

    To become softer and less intense.

    • “You know, Mrs. Wrigglechops,” pianoed Miss Drucilla , even more meekly and mildly than before, "the ace is either one or eleven."
    • His tone pianoed on intimacy.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。