pianissimo

[pee-uh-nis-uh-moh; Italian pyah-nees-see-maw] /ˌpi əˈnɪs əˌmoʊ; Italian pyɑˈnis siˌmɔ/
adjective
1.
very soft.
adverb
2.
very softly.
noun, plural pianissimos.
3.
a passage or movement played in this way.
Origin
1715-25; < Italian, superlative of piano piano2
Examples from the web for pianissimo
  • She was even more impressive when she caressed soulful pianissimo phrases.
  • All night the wind played its wild fugue, dropping to pianissimo lulls, then rising to frenetic crescendos.
  • For the first time in the history of recorded sound, it was possible to hear the entire span from pianissimo to triple forte.
British Dictionary definitions for pianissimo

pianissimo

/pɪəˈnɪsɪˌməʊ/
adjective, adverb
1.
(music) (to be performed) very quietly pp
Word Origin
C18: from Italian, superlative of piano soft
Word Origin and History for pianissimo
adv.

1724, from Italian pianissimo "very softly," from Latin pianissimus, superlative of pianus (see piano).

pianissimo in Culture
pianissimo [(pee-uh-nis-uh-moh)]

A musical direction meaning “to be performed very softly”; the opposite of fortissimo.