tenor


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Related to tenor: tenor voice

ten·or

 (tĕn′ər)
n.
1. The general course or character of something: "She would coast tonight, segue early into the Q&A, let the audience dictate the tenor of the event" (Anita Shreve). See Synonyms at tendency.
2. The word, phrase, or subject with which the vehicle of a metaphor is identified, as life in "Life's but a walking shadow" (Shakespeare).
3. The general meaning; the purport or drift: the tenor of her remarks; the tenor of your message.
4. Music
a. The highest natural adult male voice.
b. One who sings this part.
c. An instrument that sounds within this range.
d. A vocal or instrumental part written within this range.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin, uninterrupted course, from tenēre, to hold, continue; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tenor

(ˈtɛnə)
n
1. (Music, other) music
a. the male voice intermediate between alto and baritone, having a range approximately from the B a ninth below middle C to the G a fifth above it
b. a singer with such a voice
c. a saxophone, horn, recorder, etc, intermediate in compass and size between the alto and baritone or bass
d. (as modifier): a tenor sax.
2. general drift of thought; purpose: to follow the tenor of an argument.
3. (Music, other)
a. (in early polyphonic music) the part singing the melody or the cantus firmus
b. (in four-part harmony) the second lowest part lying directly above the bass
4. (Music, other) bell-ringing
a. the heaviest and lowest-pitched bell in a ring
b. (as modifier): a tenor bell.
5. a settled course of progress
6. archaic general tendency
7. (Banking & Finance) finance the time required for a bill of exchange or promissory note to become due for payment
8. (Law) law
a. the exact words of a deed, etc, as distinct from their effect
b. an exact copy or transcript
[C13 (originally: general meaning or sense): from Old French tenour, from Latin tenor a continuous holding to a course, from tenēre to hold; musical sense via Italian tenore, referring to the voice part that was continuous, that is, to which the melody was assigned]
ˈtenorless adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ten•or

(ˈtɛn ər)

n.
1. the course of thought or meaning that runs through something written or spoken; purport; drift.
2. continuous course, progress, or movement: nothing to disturb the even tenor of our lives.
3.
a. the adult male voice intermediate between the bass and the alto or countertenor.
b. a part sung by or written for such a voice.
c. a singer with such a voice.
d. an instrument corresponding in compass to this voice, esp. the viola.
e. the lowest-toned bell of a peal.
4. quality, character, or condition.
adj.
5. of, pertaining to, or having the compass of a tenor.
[1250–1300; Middle English ten(o)ur < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin, Latin: course, continuity, tone =ten(ēre) to hold + -or -or1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tenor

The highest natural adult male voice which may be either light and agile, or rich and sonorous.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tenor - the adult male singing voice above baritonetenor - the adult male singing voice above baritone
singing voice - the musical quality of the voice while singing
2.tenor - the pitch range of the highest male voice
pitch - the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
3.tenor - an adult male with a tenor voice
singer, vocalist, vocalizer, vocaliser - a person who sings
4.tenor - a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life; "nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways"
direction - a general course along which something has a tendency to develop; "I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts"; "his ideals determined the direction of his career"; "they proposed a new direction for the firm"
5.tenor - the general meaning or substance of an utterance; "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
meaning, substance - the idea that is intended; "What is the meaning of this proverb?"
purport, drift - the pervading meaning or tenor; "caught the general drift of the conversation"
Adj.1.tenor - (of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass; "a tenor sax"
music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
high-pitched, high - used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
2.tenor - of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice; "tenor voice"
high-pitched, high - used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tenor

noun meaning, trend, drift, way, course, sense, aim, purpose, direction, path, theme, substance, burden, tendency, intent, purport The whole tenor of discussions has changed.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tenor

noun
1. The thread or current of thought uniting or occurring in all the elements of a text or discourse:
2. The general sense or significance, as of an action or statement:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أعْلى أصوات الرِّجال في الغِناءمُغَنٍّ تينور
tenor
tenor
tenorisävy
tenor
tenortónus
tenórsöngvari
テノール
테너
tenoras
tenors
tenor
tenor
เสียงสูงรองลงมาจากเสียงสูงสุด
giọng nam cao

tenor

[ˈtenəʳ]
A. ADJ [instrument, part, voice] → de tenor; [aria] → para tenor
B. N
1. (Mus) → tenor m
2. (= purport) [of speech] → tenor m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tenor

[ˈtɛnər]
n
(= singer) → ténor m
[remarks, speech, reply] → sens m général, teneur f
modif [saxophone, trombone, banjo] → ténorten-pin bowling tenpin bowling n (mainly British)bowling m (à 10 quilles)
to go tenpin bowling → jouer au bowling
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tenor

n
(= voice, person)Tenor m; to sing tenorTenor singen
(= purport)Tenor m; (of theory)Tendenz f; (= general nature, of life) → Stil m; (of events)(Ver)lauf m
adj (Mus) → Tenor-; tenor voiceTenorstimme f; tenor saxophoneTenorsaxofon nt, → Tenorsaxophon nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tenor

[ˈtɛnəʳ]
1. adj (voice) → tenorile; (part) → del tenore; (instrument) → tenore inv
2. n (Mus) (frm) (of speech, discussion) → tenore m
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

tenor

(ˈtenə) noun
(a man with) a singing voice of the highest normal pitch for an adult male.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

tenor

مُغَنٍّ تينور tenor tenor Tenor τενόρος tenor tenori ténor tenor tenore テノール 테너 tenor tenor tenor tenor тенор tenor เสียงสูงรองลงมาจากเสียงสูงสุด tenor giọng nam cao 男高音
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
So exquisite is the adaptation of Bass to Treble, of Tenor to Contralto, that oftentimes the Loved Ones, though twenty thousand leagues away, recognize at once the responsive note of their destined Lover; and, penetrating the paltry obstacles of distance, Love unites the three.
Acting in song, especially in dialogues, hath an extreme good grace; I say acting, not dancing (for that is a mean and vulgar thing); and the voices of the dialogue would be strong and manly (a base and a tenor; no treble); and the ditty high and tragical; not nice or dainty.
When the ceremony of plighting troth was over, the beadle spread before the lectern in the middle of the church a piece of pink silken stuff, the choir sang a complicated and elaborate psalm, in which the bass and tenor sang responses to one another, and the priest turning round pointed the bridal pair to the pink silk rug.
The necessity of a concurrent jurisdiction in certain cases results from the division of the sovereign power; and the rule that all authorities, of which the States are not explicitly divested in favor of the Union, remain with them in full vigor, is not a theoretical consequence of that division, but is clearly admitted by the whole tenor of the instrument which contains the articles of the proposed Constitution.
Then some deep-water sailor, from the waist of the ship, lifted a rich tenor voice in the "Song of the Trade Wind":
You have all the manifestations of a soft and rich treble; I can, by especial aid, carry a full tenor to the highest letter; but we lack counter and bass!
It was nothing but soprano rebecs, counter-tenor rebecs, and tenor rebecs, not to reckon the flutes and brass instruments.
Our conversations have, I think, made sufficiently clear to you the tenor of my life and purposes: a tenor unsuited, I am aware, to the commoner order of minds.
Tulliver's daughter must be; and then if she is to banish Philip, our only apology for a tenor, that will be an additional bore."
"It isn't pleasant to have a woman tell you--" he went on, unheedingly, but breaking off suddenly: "Now if I were like Arobin-you remember Alcee Arobin and that story of the consul's wife at Biloxi?" And he related the story of Alcee Arobin and the consul's wife; and another about the tenor of the French Opera, who received letters which should never have been written; and still other stories, grave and gay, till Mrs.
There was little of that sort of customary thing where the tenor and the soprano stand down by the footlights, warbling, with blended voices, and keep holding out their arms toward each other and drawing them back and spreading both hands over first one breast and then the other with a shake and a pressure--no, it was every rioter for himself and no blending.
I could not think that this earth contained a place for sufferings and terrors so unmanning; and you can do but one thing, Utterson, to lighten this destiny, and that is to respect my silence." Utterson was amazed; the dark influence of Hyde had been withdrawn, the doctor had returned to his old tasks and amities; a week ago, the prospect had smiled with every promise of a cheerful and an honoured age; and now in a moment, friendship, and peace of mind, and the whole tenor of his life were wrecked.