pizzicato

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pizzicato, past participle of pizzicare (“to pluck”).

adv

1. (music) To be played by plucking the strings instead of using the bow.

noun

1. (music) A note that is played pizzicato
   The music is weaving / Haunting notes, pizzicato strings 1981, “Vienna”, performed by Ultravox
   “Trapeze” begins with pizzicatos that plunge into a circuslike cacophony with rapid trills, busy, clashing textures and motion in every direction. May 7, 2007, Vivien Schweitzer, “Players With No Conductor and, Increasingly, With No Fear”, in New York Times