contralto
noun/kɒnˈtɹæltəʊ/ · /kɒnˈtɹɑːltəʊ/
Etymology Contraction of contratenor alto, from Latin contratenor altus.
1
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music The lowest female voice or voice part, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. The terms contralto and alto refer to the same musical pitch range, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form is counter-tenor. Originally the contratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against the tenor or main melody.
- As for her dress, it was invariably rich, effective, and chic, yet in good taste. Lastly, her feet and hands were astonishing, and her voice a deep contralto.1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter III, in The Gambler, translated by C. J. Hogarth^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gambler_(1867)/III):
- Out in the yard a womanʼs hoarse contralto intoned a hymn.1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 68:
- Synonyms
- alto
- Coordinate terms
- soprano, mezzo-soprano, countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass