Etymologically
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pianist

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈpi.ənɪst/[1]
  • US: /ˈpi.ənɪst/, /piˈænɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French pianiste,[2][3][4][5][6][7] which Etymonline and Merriam-Webster derive from Italian pianista.[3][2] The OED instead takes it as formed from English piano + -ist, probably after the French word, recorded from 1807, and notes that the Italian one is recorded only from 1826.[8] The French form pianiste was itself used in English from 1816.[3][5] Piano is a shortening of pianoforte.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who plays the piano: 1817 in Merriam-Webster,[2] 1820 in the OED, from The Times,[8] and 1822 in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word has meant a player of the piano throughout, and especially a skilled or professional one.[8][2] In the forces' slang of the mid 20th century a pianist was also a radio operator, recorded from 1955.[8][5]

Timeline

  • 1816 – pianiste, in its French form.[3]
  • 1817 – a person who plays the piano.[2]
  • 1955 – a radio operator (services' slang).[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who plays the piano, especially a skilled or professional performer: a concert pianist.[2][8]
  2. (slang) A radio operator.[8][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press