In sheet music, what is a "pizzicato"?

Pizzicato, an Italian word that can be translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked", is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument. On bowed string instruments it is a method of playing by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow.

Source: Wikipedia