tenor

pronunciation

How to pronounce tenor in British English: UK [ˈtenə(r)] word uk audio image

How to pronounce tenor in American English: US [ˈtenər] word us audio image

Noun:

the adult male singing voice above baritone
the pitch range of the highest male voice
an adult male with a tenor voice
pervading note of an utterance
Adjective:

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

Word Origin

tenor: tenor: [13] Latin tenor was derived from the verb tenēre ‘hold’ (source also of English tenacious, tenant, etc), and so etymologically denoted ‘that which is held to’, hence a ‘continuous course’. This evolved in due course into the ‘general sense or import’ of a piece of speech or writing, in which sense English acquired it via Anglo- Norman tenur. The musical term tenor, which is basically the same word, arrived in the 14th century via Italian tenore and Old French tenor. It denotes etymologically the voice that ‘holds’ the melodic line.=> tenant

tenor (n.): c. 1300, "general meaning, prevailing course, purpose, drift," from Old French tenor "substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music" (13c. Modern French teneur), from Latin tenorem (nominative tenor) "a course," originally "continuance, uninterrupted course, a holding on," from tenere "to hold" (see tenet). The musical sense of "high male voice" is attested from late 14c. in English, so-called because the sustained melody (canto fermo) was carried by the tenor's part. Meaning "singer with a tenor voice" is from late 15c. As an adjective in this sense from 1520s.

3. But the content and tenor of cook 's comments suggest a new humility on apple 's part - that the company knows it needs to do the right thing .

4. My brother sang for me at the mtv youth ball , and at another I played a tenor saxophone duet on night train with clarence clemons .

5. Previous studies have suggested that voters might go for the baritone over the tenor .