alto
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
alto /ˈaltəʊ/
▶noun (pl. altos)
- 1 (especially in church music) the highest adult male singing voice.
■ the lowest female singing voice; contralto.
- 2 [as modifier] denoting the member of a family of instruments pitched second or third highest.
– origin C16: from Ital. alto (canto) ‘high (song)’.
'alto' also found in these Oxford entries:
althorn
- altissimo
- alto clef
- altocumulus
- alto-relievo
- altostratus
- basset horn
- bombarde
- castrato
- cor anglais
- SATB
- tenor
