1. plural of pizzicato; instances or passages of plucking the strings of a stringed instrument instead of bowing
Usage: music

1. in a pizzicato manner; by plucking rather than bowing
Usage: music; used as a musical direction

Examples

• The violinist performed several pizzicatos in the opening movement.
• The composer marked the passage pizzicatos to create a lighter, more percussive effect.
• The cellist switched between arco and pizzicatos throughout the piece.
• Those pizzicatos gave the string section a playful, staccato quality.
• The conductor instructed the orchestra to play the next section pizzicatos.
• The rapid pizzicatos in the finale delighted the audience.