'Pianissimo' traces to Latin 'planus' (flat) — the keyboard instrument is named for a word meaning 'smooth.'
A dynamic marking in music indicating that a passage should be played very softly. Abbreviated as 'pp.'
From Italian 'pianissimo,' the absolute superlative of 'piano' (soft, gentle, quiet), itself from Latin 'plānus' (flat, level, even, plain). The semantic journey from 'flat' to 'soft' occurred in Italian: a flat, level surface is smooth and gentle, and by extension 'piano' came to mean 'soft' or 'gentle' in sound. The keyboard instrument was originally called 'pianoforte' (literally 'soft-loud') because, unlike the harpsichord, it could vary its volume depending
The word 'piano' — both the musical term for 'soft' and the name of the instrument — ultimately derives from Latin 'plānus' (flat). The same Latin word gave English 'plain,' 'plane,' 'explain' (to make flat/clear), and 'plan' (a flat drawing). A piano is etymologically a 'flat thing' — because 'flat' became 'smooth,' 'smooth' became 'gentle,' and
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