alto

[ al-toh ]
See synonyms for: altoaltos on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural al·tos.
  1. the lowest female voice; contralto.

  2. the highest male voice; countertenor.

  1. a singer with such a voice.

  2. a musical part for such a voice.

  3. the second highest of the four parts of a mixed vocal chorus, or the voices or persons singing this part.

  4. the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments, as the viola in the violin family or the althorn in the cornet family.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or having the tonal range of the alto.

  2. (of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments: alto saxophone.

Origin of alto

1
1775–85; <Italian <Latin altus high

Words Nearby alto

Other definitions for alto- (2 of 2)

alto-

  1. variant of alti-: altostratus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alto in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alto (1 of 2)

alto

/ (ˈæltəʊ) /


nounplural -tos
  1. the highest adult male voice; countertenor

  2. (in choral singing) a shortened form of contralto

  1. a singer with such a voice

  2. another name for viola 1 (def. 1)

  3. a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group

adjective
  1. denoting a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group

Origin of alto

1
C18: from Italian: high, from Latin altus

British Dictionary definitions for alto- (2 of 2)

alto-

combining form
  1. high: altocumulus; altostratus

Origin of alto-

2
from Latin altus high

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for alto

alto

The lowest range of the female singing voice, also called contralto. (Compare mezzo soprano and soprano.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.