staccato: Meaning and Definition of

stac•ca•to

Pronunciation: (stu-kä'tō), [key]
— adj., adv., n., pl. -tos, -ti
—adj.
  1. shortened and detached when played or sung: staccato notes.
  2. characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected:Cf. a staccato style of playing.
  3. composed of or characterized by abruptly disconnected elements; disjointed: rapid-fire, staccato speech.
—adv.
  1. in a staccato manner.
—n.
  1. performance in a staccato manner.
  2. a staccato passage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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