mezzo-soprano

[met-soh-suh-pran-oh, -prah-noh, med-zoh-, mez-oh-]

noun

plural

mezzo-sopranos, mezzo-soprani 

1. a voice or voice part intermediate in compass between soprano and contralto.

2. a person having such a voice.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable to a mezzo-soprano.

mezzo-soprano

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: mezzo. a female voice intermediate between a soprano and contralto and having a range from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above it

2. a singer with such a voice

mezzo soprano

1. A range of the female singing voice lower than soprano and higher than alto.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mezzo-soprano¹

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1745–55