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countertenor

[ koun-ter-ten-er ]
/ ˈkaʊn tərˌtɛn ər /
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See synonyms for countertenor on Thesaurus.com
noun Music.
an adult male voice or voice part higher than the tenor.
a singer with such a voice; a high tenor.
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Also called male alto.

Origin of countertenor

1350–1400; Middle English cownturenur, apparently <Anglo-French; compare Middle French contreteneur, Old Italian contratenore, equivalent to contra- contra-2 + tenore tenor

Words nearby countertenor

counterstroke, countersubject, countersue, countersuit, counter table, countertenor, counterterrorism, countertop, countertrade, countertransference, counterturn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to countertenor

falsetto, alto

British Dictionary definitions for countertenor

countertenor
/ (ˌkaʊntəˈtɛnə) /
noun
an adult male voice with an alto range
a singer with such a voice
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
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