In music what does the term pizzicato mean?

Answer 1

This is when string players produce sound by plucking the string instead of bowing. Because the string is almost always fingered to produce the appropriate pitch, the sound is produced and then immediately damped by the finger. Even when producing this kind of tone on an open string, the musician can position the finger at the top in order to produce the pizzicato effect. This gives a muted tone, and depending on the acoustics of the venue and the number of players, pizzicato can produce a wonderful, mysterious effect.