pizzicare

Pizzicare is an Italian verb that broadly means to pinch or nip with the fingers. It can describe a wide range of small, delicate actions such as pinching the skin, squeezing a piece of fabric, or picking at something with the fingernails. The word is built from the noun pizzico, meaning a pinch or a small bite, with the typical -are verb ending.

In music, pizzicare has a specialized meaning. It is the verb form behind the term pizzicato, used in orchestral and instrumental notation to indicate that a string instrument should be plucked with the fingers rather than bowed. Pizzicato is commonly applied to violins, violas, cellos, basses, and other string instruments, and the marking moving from arco (bowed) to pizzicato (plucked) or vice versa is a standard technique instruction in scores.

Etymology and usage notes: pizzicare derives from the Italian noun pizzico. In everyday Italian, the verb covers both literal pinching actions and figurative uses such as “pizzicare” at or about small amounts or fragments, and to pick at food or other items. The term has also entered musical language as a technical instruction that conveys a specific playing method.

See also: pizzicato, Italian verbs and noun forms related to pinching and plucking. This word exemplifies how everyday gestures can become technical terms in music, while retaining broad, general senses in daily speech.