adj
Meaning 1
Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
- He has a tenor voice.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
tenor
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈtɛnə(ɹ)/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: tenner
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CMU ARPABET: T EH1 N ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
Tone, as of a conversation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
Time to maturity of a bond.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
Stamp; character; nature.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
A tenor saxophone.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, countable, uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 14
of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- tenor voice
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 15
(of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a tenor sax
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
the pitch range of the highest male voice
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pitch
noun
Meaning 17
the general meaning or substance of an utterance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: strain
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: meaning, substance
Narrower terms: drift, purport
noun
Meaning 18
a settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: direction
noun
Meaning 19
the adult male singing voice above baritone
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tenor voice
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: singing voice
noun
Meaning 20
an adult male with a tenor voice
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: singer, vocalist, vocalizer, vocaliser
Narrower terms: Caruso, Enrico Caruso, Domingo, Placido Domingo, McCormick, John McCormick, Melchior, Lauritz Melchior, Lauritz Lebrecht Hommel Melchior, Pavarotti, Luciano Pavarotti
History
Etymology
From Middle English tenour, from Anglo-Norman tenour, from Old French tenor (“substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music”), from Latin tenor (“course, continuance; holder”), from teneō (“to hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody, as opposed to the countertenor.
Across languages
Translations
62 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: тенорен (tenoren) — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Esperanto: tenora — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Finnish: tenori- — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Hungarian: tenor — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Italian: tenorile — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Vietnamese: nam cao — of or pertaining to the tenor part or range
- Finnish: tenori — (archaic) musical part or section
- German: Tenor — (archaic) musical part or section
- Bulgarian: тенор (tenor) — musical range
- Chinese Mandarin: 男高音 (nángāoyīn) — musical range
- Czech: tenor — musical range
- Danish: tenor — musical range
- Estonian: tenor — musical range
- Finnish: tenori — musical range
- French: ténor — musical range
- Georgian: ტენორი (ṭenori) — musical range
- German: Tenor — musical range
- Italian: tenore — musical range
- Japanese: テノール (tenōru) — musical range
- Korean: 테너 (teneo) — musical range
- Korean: 남성고음 (namseonggo'eum) — musical range
- Māori: reo iere — musical range
- Māori: reo ike — musical range
- Norwegian Bokmål: tenor — musical range
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tenor — musical range
- Portuguese: tenor — musical range
- Russian: те́нор (ténor) — musical range
- Swedish: tenor — musical range
- Turkish: tenor — musical range
- Bulgarian: тенор (tenor) — musical performer
- Estonian: tenor — musical performer
- Finnish: tenori — musical performer
- Georgian: ტენორი (ṭenori) — musical performer
- German: Tenor — musical performer
- Hungarian: tenor — musical performer
- Italian: tenore — musical performer
- Norwegian Bokmål: tenor — musical performer
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tenor — musical performer
- Portuguese: tenor — musical performer
- Russian: те́нор (ténor) — musical performer
- Swedish: tenor — musical performer
- Bulgarian: тон (ton) — tone
- Danish: tone — tone
- Danish: mening — tone
- Danish: hovedindhold — tone
- Danish: indhold — tone
- Finnish: sävy — tone
- German: Tenor — tone
- Hungarian: tónus — tone
- Italian: tenore — tone
- Māori: waihoe — tone
- Māori: hū — tone
- Norwegian Bokmål: tenor — tone
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tenor — tone
- Chinese Mandarin: 本體 /本体 (běntǐ) — linguistics
- Finnish: kuvattava — linguistics
- German: Tenor — linguistics
- Portuguese: teor — linguistics
- Finnish: maturiteetti — finance — see also maturity
- German: Laufzeit — finance — see also maturity
- Polish: termin płatności — finance — see also maturity
- Spanish: tenor — exact copy
Real reading context