tenor

See also Tenor, tenór, and ténor

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• tenour

Etymology

From Latin tenor (“holder”), from teneō (“hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody as opposed to the countertenor.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /tɛnə(ɹ)/ SAMPA: /tEn@(r)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Homophone: tenner

Noun

tenor (plural tenors)

1. (archaic, music) Musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.
2. (music) Musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
3. A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
4. Tone, as of a conversation.
   • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 145:

     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.

5. (linguistics) The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.

Coordinate terms

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

Translations

archaic: musical part or section

Finnish: tenori (fi)

musical range

Danish: tenor (da) c. Estonian: tenor (et) Finnish: tenori (fi) French: ténor (fr) m.

German: Tenor (de) m. Hungarian: tenor (hu) Icelandic: tenór (is) m. Swedish: tenor (sv) c.

musical performer

Estonian: tenor (et) Finnish: tenori (fi)

Swedish: tenor (sv) c.

tone

Danish: tone (da) c., mening (da) c., hovedindhold (da) n., indhold (da) n. Finnish: sävy (fi)

Hungarian: tónus (hu)

(linguistics)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: tenor German: Tenor m. (1,2,3)

Italian: tenore Quechua: karyisterem Slovene: tenor m. Vietnamese: bè têno (?) person: giọng nam cao; instrument: kèn têno tinh thần chung

See also

• Tenor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Adjective

tenor (not comparable)

1. of or pertaining to the tenor part or range

   He has a tenor voice.

Translations

of or pertaining to the tenor part or range

Finnish: tenori- (fi) Hungarian: tenor (hu)

Vietnamese: nam cao

Anagrams

• toner

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Danish

Noun

tenor c. (singular definite tenoren, plural indefinite tenorer)

1. tenor (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the tenor range)

Inflection

    Inflection of tenor

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative, dative and accusative	tenor	tenoren	tenorer	tenorerne
genitive	tenors	tenorens	tenorers	tenorernes

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Latin

Etymology

From teneō (“hold”).

Noun

tenor (genitive tenōris); m, third declension

1. a holding on, continuance, course, career, duration
2. a holder

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	tenor	tenōrēs
genitive	tenōris	tenōrum
dative	tenōrī	tenōribus
accusative	tenōrem	tenōrēs
ablative	tenōre	tenōribus
vocative	tenor	tenōrēs

Descendants

• English: tenor
• French: teneur, ténor
• Icelandic: tenór (is)
• Italian: tenore
• Spanish: tenor