“Staccato [It.]. A manner of performance indicated by a dot . . . placed over the note, calling for a reduction of [the note's] written duration with a rest substituted for half or more of its value.”*
Whereas legato connections have no perceived break and non-legato connections have a small (that is, a “perceived”) break, staccato connections have a break equal to a large proportion of the value of the note.
Staccato might be considered the opposite of legato. Staccato appears on the detached end of the “degree of connection” spectrum (see graphic to the right), and legato appears on the other end, the sustained end.