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alto

 - 6 dictionary results

al⋅to

  [al-toh] noun, plural -tos, adjective Music.
Use alto in a Sentence
–noun
1. the lowest female voice; contralto.
2. the highest male voice; countertenor.
3. a singer with such a voice.
4. a musical part for such a voice.
5. the second highest of the four parts of a mixed vocal chorus, or the voices or persons singing this part.
6. 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
7. of, pertaining to, or having the tonal range of the alto.
8. (of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments: alto saxophone.
Origin:
1775–85; < It < L altus high

alto-

 
var. of alti-: altostratus.

alti-

 
a combining form with the meaning “high,” used in the formation of compound words: altigram, altitude.
Also, alto-; especially before a vowel, alt-.

Origin:
ME < L alti- comb. form of altus high
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To alto
al·to   (āl'tō)   
n.   pl. al·tos

  1. A low female singing voice; a contralto.

  2. A countertenor.

    1. The range between soprano and tenor.

    2. A singer whose voice lies within this range.

    3. An instrument that sounds within this range.

    4. Abbr. A A vocal or instrumental part written in this range.


[Italian, from Latin altus, high; see al-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

alto

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

alto 
1784, "man with an alto voice," from It., from L. altus "high" (see old). Now more commonly applied to the lower range of women's voices (which is more strictly the contralto), an extension first recorded in 1881.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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