contralto

Contraction of contratenor alto, from Latin contratenor altus.

• IPA^(key): /kɒnˈtɹæltəʊ/, /kɒnˈtɹɑːltəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -æltəʊ, -ɑːltəʊ

contralto (plural contraltos or contralti)

1. (music) The lowest female voice or voice part, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. The terms contralto and alto refer to the same musical pitch range, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form is counter-tenor. Originally the contratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against the tenor or main melody.
   • 1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter III, in The Gambler, translated by C. J. Hogarth‎^[1]:

     As for her dress, it was invariably rich, effective, and chic, yet in good taste. Lastly, her feet and hands were astonishing, and her voice a deep contralto.

   • 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 68:

     Out in the yard a womanʼs hoarse contralto intoned a hymn.

• alto

• (voice types): soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto (female); countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass (male)

• contratenor altus
• alto
• tenor

• Audio:

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contralto m (plural contraltos)

1. contralto

• “contralto”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

From contra- +‎ alto.

• IPA^(key): /konˈtral.to/
• Rhymes: -alto
• Hyphenation: con‧tràl‧to

contralto m (plural contralti)

1. contralto (female)
2. counter-tenor (male)

• contraltile

• → Portuguese: contralto

Borrowed from Italian contralto.^[1]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -altu, (Brazil) -awtu
• Hyphenation: con‧tral‧to

contralto m (plural contraltos)

1. (music) contralto (voice between tenor and mezzo-soprano)
2. (music) contralto (singer with this voice)

• contra-, contra
• alto

• IPA^(key): /konˈtɾalto/ [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾal̪.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -alto
• Syllabification: con‧tral‧to

contralto f (plural contraltos)

1. contralto

• “contralto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024