alto

[ al-toh ]

/ ˈæl toʊ /

Music.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alto ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural al·tos.

the lowest female voice; contralto.

the highest male voice; countertenor.

a singer with such a voice.

a musical part for such a voice.

the second highest of the four parts of a mixed vocal chorus, or the voices or persons singing this part.

the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments, as the viola in the violin family or the althorn in the cornet family.

adjective

of, relating to, or having the tonal range of the alto.

(of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments: alto saxophone.

Nearby words

Origin of alto

1775–85; < Italian < Latin altus high

alto-

variant of alti-: altostratus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alto

But how can I say that when the protagonist is a talking bear who plays the alto sax?
What are the Best Novels on Music?|Ted Gioia|October 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He previously served as executive chef of Fiamma Osteria, Convivio, and Alto.
Fresh Picks|Michael White|March 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
While the first voice is singing the first half, the second voice sings the second half as the alto part of the first half.
How Music Developed|W. J. Henderson
Scenes in General Grant's career are depicted with sculpture on the plane and relieved surfaces in alto rilievo.
The Greater Republic|Charles Morris

Better yet, the soprano had sung exactly to key, the alto had shrieked "Beware!"
Miss Billy's Decision|Eleanor H. Porter
The Kyrie was coldly given, the alto and bass, in the soli parts, being hardly strung up to tune.
The Catholic World, Vol. X, October 1869|Various
In both sexes the larynx of the low voice, alto or bass, is larger than that of the high voice, soprano or tenor.
Resonance in Singing and Speaking|Thomas Fillebrown

British Dictionary definitions for alto

alto

/ (ˈæltəʊ) /

noun plural -tos

the highest adult male voice; countertenor

(in choral singing) a shortened form of contralto

a singer with such a voice

another name for viola 1 (def. 1)

a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group

adjective

denoting a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group

Word Origin for alto

C18: from Italian: high, from Latin altus

alto-

combining form

highaltocumulus; altostratus

Word Origin for alto-

from Latin altus high

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alto

alto

1784, "man with an alto voice," from Italian alto (canto), from Latin altus "high" (see old). Originally a "high" man's voice, now more commonly applied to the lower range of women's voices (which is more strictly the contralto), an extension first recorded in 1881.

The alto in a man is totally distinct from the contralto in a woman. The tone is utterly different -- the best notes of the one are certainly not the best notes of the other; and although in certain cases a contralto may sing with good effect music written for a male alto (e.g. in some oratorios), yet the converse is scarcely ever true. ["How to Sing," 1890]

As a type of saxophone, from 1869.

Culture definitions for alto

alto

The lowest range of the female singing voice, also called contralto. (Compare mezzo soprano and soprano.)

alto

noun, plural al·tos.

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of alto

alto-

Examples from the Web for alto

alto

noun plural -tos

adjective

Word Origin for alto

alto-

combining form

Word Origin for alto-

alto

alto