n. A lesser used term for the piano (the musical instrument).
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A musical instrument of the percussive group, the tones being produced by blows of hammers upon stretched strings, and the hammers being operated from a keyboard. ,
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
Word Usage
"The earliest mention of the name pianoforte (_piano e forte_), applied to a musical instrument, has been recently discovered by Count Valdrighi in documents preserved in the Estense Library, at Modena."