Fingerpicking

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A technique of playing stringed instruments by using the fingers to pluck individual strings rather than utilizing a plectrum or pick
2. A method in musicianship that focuses on the direct plucking of strings with the fingers, allowing for expressive play
3. The style of guitar playing where each string is plucked separately by the fingers instead of using a pick

Etymology: "Fingerpicking" is built from two ordinary English words: "finger," from Old English "finger," and "pick," meaning to pluck or pull at something with a fine point or the fingertips. Put together, a fingerpick is a playing action in which the fingers, rather than a plectrum, pluck the strings. The noun in this sense names the technique itself, the style of guitar playing that results. The word is a plain compound with no borrowed or disguised history. Its meaning comes straight from its parts: the instrument is played by the fingers, and the picking is the plucking action, so the name describes exactly what the player does.