contralto

con·tral·to

noun

pl. -·tos or -·ti

the range of a low female voice between mezzo-soprano and tenor, usually from about the first F below middle C to the second F above; alto
1. a voice or singer with such a range
2. a part for such a voice

Origin of contralto

It: see contra- and alto

of, for, or having the range of a contralto

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MLA Style

"contralto." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/contralto>.

APA Style

contralto. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/contralto

contralto

noun

pl. con·tral·tos Music

The lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate in range between soprano and tenor.
A woman having a contralto voice.

Origin of contralto

Italian contra- below ( from Latin contrā- contra- ) alto alto ; see alto .

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"contralto." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/contralto>.

APA Style

contralto. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/contralto

Noun

(plural contraltos or contralti)

(music) The lowest female voice or voice part, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. The terms contralto and alto refer to a similar musical pitch, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form is counter-tenor. Originally the contratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against the tenor or main melody.

Origin

Contraction of contratenor alto, from Latin contratenor altus.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.