From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpizzicatopiz‧zi‧ca‧to /ˌpɪtsɪˈkɑːtəʊ $ -toʊ/ noun [uncountable] APMmusical notes played by pulling on the strings of an instrument —pizzicato adverb, adjective
Examples from the Corpus
pizzicato• An inspired pizzicato movement showed the Philharmonic strings off to fine advantage.• There is one section in which the organ tunnels the very depths of its range while basses and cellos played pizzicato above.• The quaver would be far too quick for the pizzicato, especially in chord work like this.• Harp chords add great resonance to pizzicato strings.Origin pizzicato (1800-1900) Italian past participle of pizzicare “to pluck” 