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Tenor
Definitions
- 1 Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range. not-comparable
"He has a tenor voice."
- 1 of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice wordnet
- 2 (of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass wordnet
- 1 A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto. countable, uncountable
- 2 the pitch range of the highest male voice wordnet
- 3 A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range. countable, uncountable
- 4 the general meaning or substance of an utterance wordnet
- 5 A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies. archaic, countable, uncountable
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- 6 a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life wordnet
- 7 The lowest tuned in a ring of bells. countable, uncountable
- 8 the adult male singing voice above baritone wordnet
- 9 Tone, as of a conversation. countable, uncountable
"Colonel Walton, who had striven to check the conversation at moments when he became conscious of its tenor, now gladly engaged his guest on other and more legitimate topics."
- 10 an adult male with a tenor voice wordnet
- 11 duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"It is the conſciouſneſs of this merited approbation and eſteem which is alone capable of ſupporting the agent in this tenour of conduct."
- 12 The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed. countable, uncountable
- 13 Time to maturity of a bond. countable, uncountable
- 14 Stamp; character; nature. countable, uncountable
"This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor."
- 15 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. countable, uncountable
"Than he shall delyuer to vs a tenour of that he ought to do."
- 16 That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding. countable, uncountable
"When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor."
- 17 A tenor saxophone. colloquial, countable, uncountable
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.
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.
See also for "tenor"
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