Staccato

staccato

noun shta-KAH-to Rare

Origin: from Italian staccare, to detach

Also means

short, detached playing or singing

Usage Note

Staccato is marked with a dot above or below the note and means each note should be shortened and separated. It contrasts with Legato and Portato.

Examples

"Die Pizzicato-Passagen wurden im Staccato sehr präzise gespielt."

Natural Translation

The pizzicato passages were played very precisely in staccato.

Literal Translation

The pizzicato-passages were in-the staccato very precisely played.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

How to Tell Time in German Without Mistakes

Halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30. Master telling time in German — Viertel nach, halb, vor, the 24-hour clock, and the prepositions that trip up beginners.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read