Definition:
- (a.) Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.
- (a.) Expressed in a brief, pointed manner.
Compare staccato with other words:
chirp vs. staccato
legato vs. staccato
articulation vs. staccato