alto

¹ American  

[al-toh] / ˈæl toʊ /

noun

plural

altos

1. the lowest female voice; contralto.

2. the highest male voice; countertenor.

3. a singer with such a voice.

4. a musical part for such a voice.

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

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

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adjective

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

2. (of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments.

   alto saxophone.

alto- ² American  

1. variant of alti-.

   altostratus.

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alto- ¹ British  

combining form

1. high

   altocumulus

   altostratus

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alto ² British  

/ ˈæltəʊ /

noun

1. the highest adult male voice; countertenor

2. (in choral singing) a shortened form of contralto

3. a singer with such a voice

4. another name for viola 1

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

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adjective

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

alto Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of alto

1775–85; < Italian < Latin altus high

Explanation

An alto is a woman with a relatively low singing voice. In a choir, alto describes the lowest singing part written for a female voice. While occasionally men are described as altos — in which case, the word describes a fairly high pitched singing voice — it more often describes a woman whose voice is lower than a soprano. The word alto can also refer to other instruments, including saxophones and flutes, at specific pitches. Alto originally described a man's high voice, from a Latin root, altus, or "high."

Example Sentences

Yvonne Lanauze’s vocal is modest, but the track blossoms in the instrumental solos—Hodges’s alto sax singing with quiet poise, and Tyree Glenn’s trombone talking with emotion and eloquence, raising the whole performance to another level.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Mr. Threadgill assembled his longest-running band, Zooid, in which he plays alto saxophone and flute, specifically to advance this concept.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

I was in marching band when I was in high school, I played the alto saxophone.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

The soloists, alto Samoht and tenor Zebulon Ellis, rock the room.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

Figure 6.21: In the top line, the melody is written out in concert pitch; on the second line it has been transposed to be read by an alto saxophone.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones