countertenor Hear it!

countertenor definition

counter·tenor (ko̵unt′ər ten′ər)

noun

  1. an adult male voice, usually in falsetto, with a range similar to the contralto and sometimes reaching the soprano
  2. a singer with such a voice; a male alto
  3. a part for such a voice

Etymology: ME countretenour < OFr contreteneur: see counter- & tenor

adjective

of, for, or having the range of a countertenor

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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