mezzo-soprano

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

/ ˈmɛt soʊ səˈpræn oʊ, -ˈprɑ noʊ, ˈmɛd zoʊ-, ˈmɛz oʊ- /

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noun, plural mez·zo-so·pran·os, mez·zo-so·pran·i

[met-soh-suh-pran-ee, -prah-nee, med-zoh-, mez-oh-]. /ˈmɛt soʊ səˈpræn i, -ˈprɑ ni, ˈmɛd zoʊ-, ˈmɛz oʊ-/.

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

a person having such a voice.

adjective

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

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Origin of mezzo-soprano

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1745–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mezzo-soprano in a sentence

Before taking on the role, Racette talked it over with her wife, mezzo-soprano Beth Clayton.
‘Dolores Claiborne’ Star on Her Sudden New Role|Emily Wilson|September 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He married in 1863 the mezzo soprano singer, Amalie Weiss, who died in 1899.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
A divinely sweet mezzo-soprano voice was singing to the accompaniment of a harp.
The Dreamer|Mary Newton Stanard
My voice was a rather sweet mezzo soprano, and I had been well taught.
A Plucky Girl|L. T. Meade

Him say she has one voice di primo cartello, a very fine beautiful mezzo-soprano, very much maravigliosa.
A Top-Floor Idyl|George van Schaick
She had a gay, handsome face, a winning mezzo-soprano voice, and neat execution.
Famous Singers of To-day and Yesterday|Henry C. Lahee

British Dictionary definitions for mezzo-soprano

mezzo-soprano

noun plural -nos

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 itSometimes shortened to: mezzo

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

Cultural definitions for mezzo-soprano

mezzo soprano

[ (met-soh, med-zoh) ]

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