Staccatos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characterized by a distinct separation or abruptness in sound, often used in music to convey sharp, detached notes
2. Describing a style of playing or singing where each note is sharply separated from the others, creating a crisp effect
3. Referring to a musical technique that produces short, disconnected sounds, emphasizing clarity and precision in performance

Etymology: The plural here is "staccatos," the form of "staccato" that English speakers use when they want to count distinct instances of the technique. The noun itself is Italian in origin. It comes from "staccato," meaning "detached" or "disconnected," the past participle of "staccare," "to detach or separate." That Italian verb is a shortened form of "distaccare," which carries the same sense of separating. Its ancestry runs back through French: Old French "destachier" meant "to detach," and it was built from "des-" plus "atachier," "to attach." That word had earlier meant "to fasten with or to a stake," so the whole chain traces back to a physical stake driven into the ground. The stake is the ancient root. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word for a stick or post, which also gave English the Old English "staca," meaning "stake." So a musical term about separated notes is, at its deepest level, the same word as the pointed wooden post that holds a tent or a fence in place.

Synonyms: detached notes, short notes

Antonyms: legato