staccato

Where does the word "staccato" come from? It comes from Italian staccare, passing through Italian before entering English (1700s-1800s).

Staccato’s story begins in Italian: staccare meant “to detach.” Within Italian, it grew into staccato by 1700s. A musical direction for short, detached notes. It reached English by 1700s-1800s as staccato. Italian 'detached', marked with dots over the notes. Today, staccato means played or performed with each note sharply detached from the others.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval staccare "to detach", meaning "to detach".
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1700s staccato "played with short, detached notes", a musical direction for short, detached notes.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s-1800s staccato "short, sharply detached sounds", Italian 'detached', marked with dots over the notes.