pizzicato means to be played by plucking the strings instead of using the bow. It carries an Arena rating of 1632, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pizzicato ranks #207 of 12,584 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,184 of 12,586 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,335 of 12,349 for Most Ponderous Words, #10,028 of 12,381 for The Improbable.
pizzicato is pronounced /ˌpɪtsɪˈkɑːtoʊ/.
Why “pizzicato” is a great word
A musical direction for a string instrument to be played by plucking the strings with the finger, or a note so played. From the Italian pizzicato, past participle of pizzicare ("to pluck, pinch"), itself from pizzare ("to prick, sting"), from pizzo ("point, edge"); first attested in English use in the 1830s. Unlike arco, which commands the return of the bow’s sustained friction, or strum, which implies a broad, harmonic sweep, pizzicato is a precise, punctuated withdrawal. It is the sharp, percussive drop of a single raindrop into a pool of sound, the intimate pluck that makes the cello a sorrowful giant, and the sudden, bright ping that breaks an orchestral swell—a brief reminder that music, like thought, is built from distinct, separated moments.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian pizzicato, past participle of pizzicare (“to pluck”).
adv
- To be played by plucking the strings instead of using the bow.
noun
- A note that is played pizzicato“The music is weaving / Haunting notes, pizzicato strings”