PIANO

I. adverb or adjective see: floor Date: 1683 at a soft volume ; soft , II. noun (plural ~s) Etymology: Italian, short for ~forte, from gravicembalo col ~ e forte, literally, harpsichord with soft and loud; from the fact that its tones could be varied in loudness Date: 1803 a musical instrument having steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard