falsetto

[fawl-set-oh]

noun

plural

falsettos 

1. an unnaturally or artificially high-pitched voice or register, especially in a man.

2. a person, especially a man, who sings with such a voice.

adjective

1. of, noting, or having the quality and compass of such a voice.

adverb

1. in a falsetto.

falsetto

/ fɔːlˈsɛtəʊ /

noun

1. a form of vocal production used by male singers to extend their range upwards beyond its natural compass by limiting the vibration of the vocal cords

Word History and Origins

Origin of falsetto¹

1765–75; < Italian, equivalent to fals ( o ) (< Latin falsus false ) + -etto -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of falsetto¹

C18: from Italian, from falso _false

Example Sentences

“Cowboys and Angels” is laid-back and jazzy, while the humid “Soul Free” similarly boasts funky flutes and a falsetto detour, and acoustic guitars and warm harmonies give “Heal the Pain” a Beatles-esque feel.

Read more on Salon

His falsetto found new registers of rapture and longing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Christie’s fans screamed over his signature falsetto when “Two Faces Have I” made it to No. 6 on the Billboard 100 in 1963, the year he released his self-titled first album.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“When the group reaches the word ‘and,’ his falsetto harmony part is distinct.

Read more on Salon

The first window into the album was “Good Vibrations,” a 3-minute, 35-second song that featured dramatic shifts in tone and mood with Wilson’s distinctive falsetto soaring above it all.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• singer