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contralto

 - 4 dictionary results

con⋅tral⋅to

  [kuhn-tral-toh] noun, plural -tos, adjective Music.
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–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; < It, equiv. to contr(a) contra-2 + alto alto
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·tral·to   (kən-trāl'tō)   
n.   pl. con·tral·tos Music Abbr. contr.

  1. The lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate in range between soprano and tenor.

  2. A woman having a contralto voice.


[Italian : contra-, below (from Latin contrā-, contra-) + alto, alto; see alto.]
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

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.
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Word Origin & History

contralto 
1730, from contra- + alto. The part next above the alto.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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