mezzo

American  

[met-soh, med-zoh, mez-oh] / ˈmɛt soʊ, ˈmɛd zoʊ, ˈmɛz oʊ /

adjective

1. middle; medium; half.

---

noun

plural

mezzos

1. a mezzo-soprano.

mezzo British  

/ ˈmɛtsəʊ /

adverb

1. moderately; quite

   mezzo forte

   mezzo piano

---

noun

1. See mezzo-soprano

Etymology

Origin of mezzo

1805–15; < Italian < Latin medius middle

Example Sentences

Most notably, Ms. Kaminsky portrays Alona’s anguish in her big revelation scene with a jagged vocal line that seems painfully extracted from her, with the cello echoing Timothi Williams’s vibrant mezzo.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the Choreographer, Megan Moore’s plangent mezzo was especially effective in her mourning aria; soprano Whitney Morrison was dramatic as the Performance Artist, the only member of the creative quintet who sees what is coming.

From The Wall Street Journal

The whiplash between bitter and sweet is arresting, but Ms. Lindsey’s velvety mezzo is never less than beautiful, and her enunciation of German, English and French texts is impeccably crisp.

From The Wall Street Journal

That might have been the end of it, as she was soon hired by the Light Opera of Manhattan as a mezzo soprano.

From New York Times

O’Connor, a multi-octave mezzo soprano of extraordinary emotional range who was recognizable by her shaved head, began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• intermediate