The word piano comes from Italian and means quiet. It's shortened from another Italian word, pianoforte, which means "soft and loud". This name comes from the piano's ability to play both loudly and softly.
The word piano is borrowed from the Italian word piano meaning quiet. The musical instrument is a shortened form of another Italian word; pianoforte meaning "both soft and loud". This name comes from...
Italian - it means "quiet" or perhaps "soft" as opposed to forte, which means "loud" - hence the full name of the instrument, pianoforte, because it can do both.