Staccato

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language

·adj Expressed in a brief, pointed manner.

II. Staccato ·adj Disconnected; separated; distinct;

— a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic.