English▸ adverb (especially as a direction) using the soft pedal on a piano:
the slow movement of the variations do not have to be played una corda.
▸ adjective performed using the soft pedal on a piano:
there are stupendous moments, such as the una corda passage.
▸ noun a device in a grand piano that shifts the mechanism slightly to one side when the soft pedal is depressed, so that the hammers do not strike all of the strings when sounding each note and the tone is therefore quieter.
– ORIGIN Italian, literally ‘one string’.