fortissimo [fawr-tis-uh-moh; Italian fawr-tees-see-maw]Music. ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- (a direction) very loud.
adverb
- (a direction) very loudly.
Origin of fortissimo 1715–25; Italian; superlative of forte forte2 Examples from the Web for fortissimo Historical Examples of fortissimo
Her defiant speech was like the fortissimo from a full orchestra.
James Huneker
When I say ‘fortissimo,’ you play fortissimo; when I say ‘allegro,’ you play allegro.
Myrtle Reed
Allegro and fortissimo had been McAllister’s tempo and tone.
O. Henry
She was part of the refrain—a note in the fortissimo of industry.
James C. Welsh
It is said that in this piece Paganini produced a tone that dominated the whole orchestra even in fortissimo passages.
Nicolo Paganini: His Life and Work
Stephen Samuel Stratton
British Dictionary definitions for fortissimo fortissimo adjective, adverb
- very loudSymbol: ff
noun
- a very loud passage in music
Word Origin for fortissimo C18: from Italian, from Latin fortissimus, from fortis strong Word Origin and History for fortissimo
1724, from Italian fortissimo, superlative of forte “loud, strong,” from Latin fortis “strong” (see fort).
fortissimo in Culture fortissimo [(fawr-tis-uh-moh)]
A musical direction meaning “to be performed very loudly”; the opposite of pianissimo.