castrato

English

Etymology

From Italian castrato, from Latin castrō (“to castrate”), likely from caedō (“to cut”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: kăsträʹtō, IPA^(key): /kæsˈtɹɑː.təʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cas‧tra‧to

Noun

castrato (plural castratos or castrati)

1. A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.
   • 2001, Bernardine Evaristo, The Emperor's Babe, Penguin Essentials (2020), page 170:

     A castrato stepped forward, a slender / young man with earnest grey eyes.

2. (music) A male soprano or alto voice produced by castration of the treble singer before puberty, intended to conserve his voice; the singer.
   • 2025 November 20, Van Badham, “Xania Monet’s music is the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully her AI ‘clankers’ will be limited to this cultural moment”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     As contexts shift, so does generational taste. Just ask the castrati – the high-voiced boy singers displaced when Enlightenment liberalism restored female performers to the stage.

Translations

male who has been castrated

• Bulgarian: евнух m (evnuh), кастрат m (kastrat)
• Dutch: castraat (nl) m, gecastreerde (nl) m
• German: Kastrat (de) m
• Greek: εκτομίας (el) m (ektomías)
• Japanese: カストラート (kasutorāto)
• Polish: eunuch (pl) m, kastrat (pl) m, rzezaniec (pl) m, trzebieniec (pl) m
• Spanish: castrado (es) m
• Swedish: kastrat (sv) c

male soprano or alto voice; the singer

• Bulgarian: кастрат m (kastrat)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 閹伶 / 阉伶 (yānlíng)

• Dutch: castraat (nl) m, castrato, castraatzanger (nl) m
• French: castrat (fr) m
• German: Kastrat (de) m
• Greek: καστράτος (el) m (kastrátos)
• Italian: castrato (it) m
• Japanese: カストラート (kasutorāto)
• Polish: kastrat (pl) m
• Spanish: castrado (es) m
• Swedish: kastratsångare c, kastrat (sv) c
• Turkish: kastrato

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 카스트라토 (kaseuteurato)

Adjective

castrato (not comparable)

1. (literally) Castrated; especially castrated prepubescently.
2. Having, using or containing the voice of a castrato (noun).
3. Originally composed for a castrato.

   Nowadays, either women or countertenors take the castrato roles.

Related terms

• castrate
• castratism

Translations

adjective: castrated

• Bulgarian: кастриран (bg) (kastriran)
• Dutch: gecastreerd (nl)

having, using or containing the voice of a castrato

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: castraat-, castrato-

composed for castrato

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} castrat (fr) m
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} カストラート (kasutorāto)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 카스트라토 (kaseuteurato) (kaseuteurato)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} castrado (es)

See also

• contratenor
• contratenor altus
• countertenor
• eunuch
• sopranista
• soprano

Anagrams

• coast rat, crostata

Italian

Etymology

From Latin castrātus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kasˈtra.to/
• Rhymes: -ato
• Hyphenation: ca‧strà‧to

Participle

castrato (feminine castrata, masculine plural castrati, feminine plural castrate)

1. past participle of castrare

Adjective

castrato (feminine castrata, masculine plural castrati, feminine plural castrate)

1. castrated, gelded, neutered

Noun

castrato m (plural castrati)

1. wether
2. mutton

Anagrams

• crostata, scartato, scortata

Latin

Noun

castrātō

1. dative/ablative singular of castrātus