Castrato Definition

kă-strätō, kə-

castrati, castratos

noun

A singer castrated as a boy to preserve the soprano or contralto range of his voice, esp. in 16th-18th cent. Italy.

Webster's New World

adjective

(literally) Castrated; especially castrated prepubescently.

Wiktionary

Having, using or containing the voice of a castrato (noun).

Wiktionary

Originally composed for a castrato.

Nowadays, either women or countertenors take the castrato roles.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Castrato

Singular:

castrato

Plural:

castrati, castratos

From Italian castrato, from Latin castrō (“to castrate”), likely from caedō (“to cut”).

From Wiktionary
Italian from Latin castrātus past participle of castrāre to castrate castrate

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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