staccato

  1. Noun.  (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.
  2. Noun.  (music) A passage having this mark.
  3. Adverb.  (music) played in this style.
  4. Adjective.  (music) describing a passage having this mark.
  5. Adjective.  Made up of abruptly disconnected parts or sounds. .

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.