DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

contralto

[ kuh n-tral-toh ]
/ kənˈtræl toʊ /
Music.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contralto ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural con·tral·tos.

the lowest female voice or voice part, intermediate between soprano and tenor.
the alto, or highest male voice or voice part.
a singer with a contralto voice.

adjective

pertaining to the contralto voice or its compass.

Words related to contralto

low, deep, low-pitched

Words nearby contralto

contrail, contraindicate, contraindication, contralateral, contralateral hemiplegia, contralto, contranym, contraoctave, contraorbital, contraplete, contrapose

Origin of contralto

1720–30; < Italian, equivalent to contr(a) contra-2 + alto alto
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contralto

British Dictionary definitions for contralto

contralto
/ (kənˈtræltəʊ, -ˈtrɑːl-) /

noun plural -tos or -ti (-tɪ)

the lowest female voice, usually having a range of approximately from F a fifth below middle C to D a ninth above itIn the context of a choir often shortened to: alto
a singer with such a voice

adjective

of or denoting a contraltothe contralto part

Word Origin for contralto

C18: from Italian; see contra-, alto
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

Cultural definitions for contralto

contralto
[ (kuhn-tral-toh) ]

The lowest range of the female singing voice; alto.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.