staccato

• POS: Adjective, Adverb
• HYPHEN: stac=ca=to

CIDE DICTIONARY

staccato, a. [It., p. p. of staccare, equivalent to distaccare. See Detach.].

•  Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.  [1913 Webster]
•  Expressed in a brief, pointed manner.  [1913 Webster]

  "Staccato and peremptory [literary criticism]."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

staccato, adv., adj., & n. esp. Mus.
--adv. & adj. with each sound or note sharply detached or separated from the others (cf. LEGATO, TENUTO).
--n. (pl. -os)
1 a staccato passage in music etc.
2 staccato delivery or presentation.

Idiom

staccato mark a dot or stroke above or below a note, indicating that it is to be played staccato.

Etymology

It., past part. of staccare = distaccare DETACH

THESAURUS

staccato

a cappella, abbandono, accidental, accrescendo, adagietto, adagio, affettuoso, agilmente, agitato, allegretto, allegro, amabile, amoroso, andante, andantino, appassionatamente, appassionato, arrhythmia, beat, beating, breve, brillante, cantando, capriccioso, ceaseless, ceaselessness, chattering, clicking, con affetto, con agilita, con agitazione, con amore, constancy, constant, constant flow, continual, continualness, continuity, crescendo, crotchet, decrescendo, demilegato, demisemiquaver, diminuendo, dolce, dominant, dominant note, double whole note, drumming, eighth note, enharmonic, enharmonic note, execution, expression, fingering, flat, flutter, fluttering, forte, fortissimo, glissando, half note, heartbeat, heartthrob, hemidemisemiquaver, incessancy, incessant, intonation, lamentabile, larghetto, larghissimo, largo, legato, leggiero, machine gun, marcando, mezzo staccato, minim, morendo, music-making, musical note, natural, noninterruption, note, oscillating, oscillation, palpitant, palpitation, parlando, patent note, perennial, performance, perpetual, perpetuity, pianism, pianissimo, piano, pitapat, pitter-patter, pizzicato, pounding, prestissimo, presto, pulsatile, pulsating, pulsation, pulsative, pulsatory, pulse, pulsing, quarter note, quaver, quick fire, rallentando, rapid, rapid fire, rapid recurrence, rapid succession, rapidity, rat-a-tat, rataplan, regular, regularity, rendering, rendition, repeated, repercussion, repetition, report, responding note, rhythm, rhythmic, ritardando, ritenuto, rubato, scherzando, scherzo, scherzoso, semibreve, semiquaver, shaped note, sharp, sixteenth note, sixty-fourth note, slur, sordo, sotto voce, spattering, spiccato, spluttering, sputtering, steadiness, steady, stretto, stuttering, sustained, sustained note, sustainment, tattoo, tempo, tercet, thirty-second note, throb, throbbing, thrumming, thumping, ticking, tone, touch, tremolando, tremoloso, trillando, triplet, unbroken, unceasing, unchanging, unintermission, unintermitted, unintermittent, unintermitting, uninterrupted, uninterruption, unremitting, unstopped, unvarying, vibrating, vibration, whole note

ROGET THESAURUS

staccato

Music

N music, concert, strain, tune, air, melody, aria, arietta, piece of music, work, number, opus, sonata, rondo, rondeau, pastorale, cavatina, roulade, fantasia, concerto, overture, symphony, variations, cadenza, cadence, fugue, canon, quodlibet, serenade, notturno, dithyramb, opera, operetta, oratorio, composition, movement, stave, passamezzo, toccata, Vorspiel, instrumental music, full score, minstrelsy, tweedledum and tweedledee, band, orchestra, concerted piece, potpourri, capriccio, vocal music, vocalism, chaunt, chant, psalm, psalmody, hymn, song, canticle, canzonet, cantata, bravura, lay, ballad, ditty, carol, pastoral, recitative, recitativo, solfeggio, Lydian measures, slow music, slow movement, adagio, minuet, siren strains, soft music, lullaby, dump, dirge, pibroch, martial music, march, dance music, waltz, solo, duet, duo, trio, quartet, quartett, septett, part song, descant, glee, madrigal, catch, round, chorus, chorale, antiphon, antiphony, accompaniment, second, bass, score, bourdon, drone, morceau, terzetto, composer, musician, musical, instrumental, vocal, choral, lyric, operatic, harmonious, Wagnerian, adagio, largo, larghetto, andante, andantino, alla capella, maestoso, moderato, allegro, allegretto, spiritoso, vivace, veloce, presto, prestissimo, con brio, capriccioso, scherzo, scherzando, legato, staccato, crescendo, diminuendo, rallentando, affettuoso, obbligato, pizzicato, desto, in notes by distance made more sweet, like the faint exquisite music of a dream, music arose with its voluptuous swell, music is the universal language of mankind, music's golden tongue, the speech of angels, will sing the savageness out of a bear, music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.