staccato

IPA: stʌkˈɑtoʊ

(music) An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
(music) A passage having this mark.
(figurative) Any sound resembling a musical staccato.

Examples of "staccato" in Sentences

He spoke in a low voice in short staccato phrases.
Instead, I find myself thinking in staccato bursts.
The facts came into his mind in short staccato statements.
The term staccato has been applied generally to things that occur in rapid bursts, such as gunfire.
For much of the first half of the film Moon blurts out her lines in staccato style, which had me concentrating more on her acting than the movie.
Speaking in staccato tones and gesticulating sharply, he calls for support of jihad to liberate the children of Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan.
The word made Dave remember how his own thoughts came in staccato bursts, like fireworks that rose and flared, abruptly lighting his consciousness before just as quickly fading into the night sky.
Mieville gropes for a prose style in the opening hundred pages or so, meaning that the opening part of the book is delivered in short, staccato bursts, one moment enjoyable, the next annoyingly obtuse to the point of turgidness.