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contralto
Use
Contralto
in a sentence
con·tral·to
/
kənˈtræl
toʊ
/
Show Spelled
[
k
uh
n-
tral
-toh
]
Show IPA
noun,
plural
con·tral·tos,
adjective
Music.
noun
1.
the lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate between soprano and tenor.
2.
the alto, or highest male voice or voice part.
3.
a singer with a contralto voice.
adjective
4.
pertaining to the contralto voice or its compass.
Origin:
1720–30;
<
Italian,
equivalent to
contr
(
a
)
contra-
2
+
alto
alto
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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contralto
Relevant Questions
What Is A True Contralto...
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What Is A True Contralto...
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00:10
Contralto
is always a great word to know.
So is
flibbertigibbet
. Does it mean:
So is
doohickey
. Does it mean:
So is
callithumpian
. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
contralto
(kənˈtræltəʊ, -ˈtrɑːl-)
—
n
,
pl
-tos
,
-ti
1.
In the context of a choir often shortened to:
alto
the lowest female voice, usually having a range of approximately from F a fifth below middle C to D a ninth above it
2.
a singer with such a voice
—
adj
3.
of or denoting a contralto:
the contralto part
[C18: from Italian; see
contra-
,
alto
]
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
contralto
1730, from contra- +
alto
. The part next above the alto.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
contralto
[(kuhn-
tral
-toh)]
The lowest range of the female singing voice;
alto
.
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
Example sentences
It is rare to find a
contralto
singer, and true
contralto
roles are few and far between.
Her voice is a muscular
contralto
that she uses the way a jazz singer does, creating hypnotic musical lines.
Her accent is strongly foreign and her voice is a
contralto
.
He had appeared professionally as a singer and depending on location and dress sang either baritone or
contralto
.
In art it is an oversized violin with a tubby, whiskey-
contralto
voice.
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