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Definition of tenor noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tenor

noun
 
/ˈtenə(r)/
 
/ˈtenər/
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  1. [countable] a man’s singing voice with a range just below the lowest woman’s voice; a man with a tenor voice
    • Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.
    compare alto, baritone, bass1, countertenorTopics Musicc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • famous
    • great
    • renowned
    verb + tenor
    • sing
    tenor + verb
    • sing
    tenor + noun
    • aria
    • solo
    See full entry
  2. [singular] a musical part written for a tenor voice
    • We persuaded Jake to sing tenor.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • famous
    • great
    • renowned
    verb + tenor
    • sing
    tenor + verb
    • sing
    tenor + noun
    • aria
    • solo
    See full entry
  3. [singular] the tenor of something (formal) the general character or meaning of something
    • I was encouraged by the general tenor of his remarks.
    Extra Examples
    • The whole tenor of the meeting was very positive.
    • The general tenor of her argument was that Parliament should redress the balance between rich and poor.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • even
    • general
    • overall
    See full entry
  4. Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin, based on tenere ‘to hold’; so named because the tenor part was allotted (and therefore “held”) the melody. noun sense 3 Middle English: from Old French tenour, from Latin tenor ‘course, substance, import of a law’, from tenere ‘to hold’.
See tenor in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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