alto

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Italian alto (“high”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈæl.təʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæl.toʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æltəʊ

Noun

alto (plural altos)

An alto saxophone

1. A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody.
2. A person or musical instrument that performs the alto part.

Usage notes

• Nouns often modified by "alto": saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder, part, solo, voice, singer.

Synonyms

• (musical part or section): contratenor altus, high countertenor

Coordinate terms

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

Translations

musical part

• Armenian: ալտ (alt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中音 (zh) (zhōngyīn)

• Czech: alt (cs) m
• Dutch: alt (nl)
• Finnish: altto (fi)
• French: alto (fr) m

• German: Alt (de) m
• Irish: alt m, cuach f
• Japanese: アルト (aruto)
• Portuguese: contralto (pt) m
• Russian: альт (ru) m (alʹt)
• Spanish: alto (es) m, f, contralto m, f
• Swedish: alt (sv) c

person or instrument

• Armenian: ալտ (alt)
• Czech: alt (cs) m
• Dutch: alt (nl)
• Finnish: altto (fi)
• German: Alt (de) m
• Hawaiian: (person): leo wahine, (instrument): ʻaeko

• Italian: contralto (it) m
• Japanese: アルト (aruto)
• Portuguese: contralto (pt) m
• Russian: альт (ru) m (alʹt)
• Swedish: alt (sv) c
• Vietnamese: (person): người hát giọng nữ trầm, (instrument): đàn antô, kèn antô

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

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} алт (alt)
• French: ^{(please verify)} alto (fr)

• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} alt (hu)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} alt (sl) m
• Vietnamese: (?) ^{(please verify)} bè antô (vi)

External links

• Alto on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• a lot, alot, ATOL, lota, tola

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Asturian

Adjective

alto n sg

1. neuter singular of altu

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French

Wikipedia ^fr

alto

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

alto m (plural altos)

1. (music) alto
2. (music) viola

External links

• “alto” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Galician

Etymology

From Latin altus.

Adjective

alto m (feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas)

1. tall

Antonyms

• (high): baixo

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Italian

Etymology

From Latin altus, "high"

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

alto m (feminine alta, masculine plural alti, feminine plural alte)

1. high, tall
2. deep

   uno stagno alto 4 metri - a pond 4 meters deep

3. loud

   ad alta voce - in a loud voice

Antonyms

• basso

Related terms

• altare
• altamente
• altezza
• altimetro
• altisonante
• altitonante
• altitudine

• Alto Adige
• altocumulo
• altolocato
• altopiano
• altostrato
• Alto Volta

Descendants

• German: Alt

Anagrams

• lato
• talo

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Ladino

Etymology

From Latin altus.

Adjective

alto m (Latin spelling)

1. high

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Latin

Etymology

From altus (“high, deep”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈal.toː/, [ˈaɫ.toː]

Verb

present active altō, present infinitive altāre (no perfect or supine forms)

1. I make high, raise, elevate.

Inflection

• No perfect or supine forms.

Participle

altō

1. dative masculine singular of altus
2. dative neuter singular of altus
3. ablative masculine singular of altus
4. ablative neuter singular of altus

References

• alto in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879

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Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Old Portuguese alto, from Latin altus.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈaɫ.tu/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.tu/

Adjective

alto m (feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas, comparable)

1. loud
2. tall
3. high

Inflection

Inflection of alto

	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
positive	alto	alta	altos	altas
comparative	mais alto	mais alta	mais altos	mais altas
superlative	o mais alto altíssimo	a mais alta altíssima	os mais altos altíssimos	as mais altas altíssimas
augmentative	altão	altona	altões	altonas
diminutive	altinho	altinha	altinhos	altinhas

Adverb

alto (comparative mais alto superlative o mais alto)

1. loud; loudly
   • 2003, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Rocco, page 445:

     Não fale tão alto...

     Don't speak so loud...

Etymology 2

From the imperative of German halten.

Interjection

alto!

1. halt!

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalto/

Etymology 1

From Latin altus.

Adjective

alto m (feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas)

1. tall

   Esas chicas son altas - Those girls are tall

2. high

   Es un número alto. - It's a high number.

3. loud

   En voz alta - out loud

Related terms

• altura
• altísimo

Antonyms

• bajo - short

Etymology 2

From Germanic halt.

Noun

alto m (plural altos)

1. stop
2. break, pause, rest
3. (traffic) stop (signal)
4. (traffic) red light

Antonyms

• (red light): siga

Derived terms

• hacer un alto
• marcar el alto

Related terms

• parada
• detener
• detenerse

Interjection

¡alto!

1. stop!