tenor
Use Tenor in a sentence
ər noun
1.
the course of thought or meaning that runs through something written or spoken; purport; drift.
2.
continuous course, progress, or movement.
3.
4.
Music.
a.
the adult male voice intermediate between the bass and the alto or countertenor.
b.
a part sung by or written for such a voice, especially the next to the lowest part in four-part harmony.
c.
a singer with such a voice.
d.
an instrument corresponding in compass to this voice, especially the viola.
e.
the lowest-toned bell of a peal.
5.
quality, character, or condition.
adjective
6.
Music. of, pertaining to, or having the compass of a tenor.
00:10
Tenor
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Origin:
1250–1300; < Medieval Latin, Latin: course, continuity, tone, equivalent to ten(ēre) to hold + -or -or1; replacing Middle English ten(o)ur < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
1250–1300; < Medieval Latin, Latin: course, continuity, tone, equivalent to ten(ēre) to hold + -or -or1; replacing Middle English ten(o)ur < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
Related forms
ten·or·less, adjective
Synonyms
1. sense, import, content, substance, gist.
1. sense, import, content, substance, gist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tenor
Collins
World English Dictionary
tenor (ˈtɛnə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | music |
| a. the male voice intermediate between alto and baritone, having a range approximately from the B a ninth below middle C to the G a fifth above it | |
| b. a singer with such a voice | |
| c. a saxophone, horn, recorder, etc, intermediate in compass and size between the alto and baritone or bass | |
| d. (as modifier): a tenor sax | |
| 2. | general drift of thought; purpose: to follow the tenor of an argument |
| 3. | a. (in early polyphonic music) the part singing the melody or the cantus firmus |
| b. (in four-part harmony) the second lowest part lying directly above the bass | |
| 4. | bell-ringing |
| a. the heaviest and lowest-pitched bell in a ring | |
| b. (as modifier): a tenor bell | |
| 5. | a settled course of progress |
| 6. | archaic general tendency |
| 7. | finance the time required for a bill of exchange or promissory note to become due for payment |
| 8. | law |
| a. the exact words of a deed, etc, as distinct from their effect | |
| b. an exact copy or transcript | |
| [C13 (originally: general meaning or sense): from Old French tenour, from Latin tenor a continuous holding to a course, from tenēre to hold; musical sense via Italian tenore, referring to the voice part that was continuous, that is, to which the melody was assigned] | |
| 'tenorless | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tenor
c.1300, "general meaning, purpose, drift," from O.Fr. tenour "substance, sense" (13c.), from L. tenorem (nom. tenor) "contents, course," originally "a holding on," from tenere "to hold" (see tenet). The musical sense of "high male voice" is attested from c.1388, because the
sustained melody (canto fermo) was carried by the tenor's part.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
As an interpreter, his voice is a versatile tenor with a rare tenderness and a seemingly effortless way with a song.
What bothered me more than the inadequate fact checking was the general tenor of this article.
Beck's voice in his religious interludes shifts from the usual silken tenor to something weak and trembly.
Every single word you choose to write is laden with meaning that can dramatically alter the tenor and message of a story.
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