Definition of TENOR

tenor

Meanings

Plural: tenors

Noun

  • the adult male singing voice above baritone
  • the pitch range of the highest male voice
  • an adult male with a tenor voice
  • a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life
    • "nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways"
  • the general meaning or substance of an utterance
    • "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
  • A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
  • A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
  • A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.
  • The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.
  • Tone, as of a conversation.
  • duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.
  • The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.
  • Time to maturity of a bond.
  • Stamp; character; nature.
  • An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument.
  • That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
  • A tenor saxophone.

Adjective Satellite

  • (of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass
    • "a tenor sax"
  • of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice
    • "tenor voice"

Adj

  • Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody, as opposed to the countertenor.

Synonyms

strain, tenor voice

Scrabble Score: 5

tenor is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
tenor is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tenor is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 6

tenor is a valid Words With Friends word