staccato

English

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 *stakka (“stake”), from Proto-Germanic *stakkaz, *stakkēn (“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.

staccato (plural staccatos or staccati)

(music) 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.
(music) A passage having this mark.

a style of playing short sharp notes

staccato (comparative more staccato, superlative most staccato)

staccato (comparative more staccato, superlative most staccato)

(music) Describing a passage having this mark.
Made up of abruptly disconnected parts or sounds.
- 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray:
  The same nervous staccato laugh broke from her thin lips, and her fingers began to play with a long tortoise-shell paper-knife.

From staccare (“to detach, separate”).

staccato m (feminine singular staccata, masculine plural staccati, feminine plural staccate)

staccato (feminine singular staccata, masculine plural staccati, feminine plural staccate)

staccato m (plural staccati)

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