Pianola

1 9.7

A piano that plays by itself when you put in a roll of paper with holes

noun
/ˈpiːəˌnoʊlə/

Archaic

: pianola

Miss Wulla Jean put a pianola in the parlor to sorta help break the ice.

Examples

(Pianola plays Run Rabbit Run)

In Which We Serve (1942)
... a pianola.

Touch of Evil (1958)
That pianola sure brings back memories.

Touch of Evil (1958)
That pianola sure brings back memories.

Touch of Evil (1958)
I'm Ethel Toffelmier, the pianola girl.

The Music Man (1962)
Against one wall was a pianola, and above the mantel, a painting of the Madonna in a gold frame.

Fiction book (2000)
I was so close I could see the dry landscape spinning vertically from bottom to top like the sheet of a Pianola, and all I had to do was reach out and hook my fingers into its craters, like a bowling ball, to make it stop.

Fiction book (1995)
The pianola played a beautiful melody as guests enjoyed the evening.
She admired the old pianola that filled the room with music from a bygone era.
As the pianola rolled out its tunes, everyone began to dance happily.

Synonyms

player piano

vsPianola

Archaic

3 6.7

A piano that plays by itself using a paper roll

is the traditional term for the same automatic instrument

mechanical piano

vsPianola

Archaic

6.2

A piano that plays by itself using a paper roll with holes to move the keys

emphasizes the mechanical method rather than the neutral name of the device

Surface Forms

Pianola singular

Pianolas plural

Morphology

Pianola = piano (semi-transparent) = piano + ola

The form clearly derives from 'piano' with the suffix '-ola' (a brand/novelty suffix), but the specific sense 'automatic player piano' and the productive meaning of '-ola' are not obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Pianola comes from piano and the ending -ola, a popular ending in old music machines like Victrola. So a Pianola is a 'piano machine' that 'plays by itself' with paper rolls that have holes, which explains its modern meaning.