Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PI'A-NO-FORTE, n. [It. piano, from L. planus, plain, smooth, and It. forte, L. fortis, strong.]

A keyed musical instrument of German origin and of the harpsichord kind, but smaller; so called from its softer notes or expressions. Its tones are produced by hammers instead of quills, like the virginal and spinet. – Encyc. Cyc.