'Tenor' definitions:
Definition of 'tenor'
From: WordNet
adjective
(of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass; "a tenor sax"
adjective
Of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice; "tenor voice"
noun
The adult male singing voice above baritone [syn: tenor, tenor voice]
noun
The pitch range of the highest male voice
noun
An adult male with a tenor voice
noun
A settled or prevailing or habitual course of a person's life; "nothing disturbed the even tenor of her ways"
noun
The general meaning or substance of an utterance; "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument" [syn: tenor, strain]
Definition of 'Tenor'
From: GCIDE
- Tenor \Ten"or\, n. [L., from tenere to hold; hence, properly, a holding on in a continued course: cf. F. teneur. See Tenable, and cf. Tenor a kind of voice.]
- 1. A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career. [1913 Webster]
- Along the cool sequestered vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their away. --Gray. [1913 Webster]
- 2. That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding. [1913 Webster]
- When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Does not the whole tenor of the divine law positively require humility and meekness to all men? --Spart. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Stamp; character; nature. [1913 Webster]
- This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Law) 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. --Bouvier. [1913 Webster]
- 5. [F. t['e]nor, L. tenor, properly, a holding; -- so called because the tenor was the voice which took and held the principal part, the plain song, air, or tune, to which the other voices supplied a harmony above and below: cf. It. tenore.] (Mus.) (a) The higher of the two kinds of voices usually belonging to adult males; hence, the part in the harmony adapted to this voice; the second of the four parts in the scale of sounds, reckoning from the base, and originally the air, to which the other parts were auxillary. (b) A person who sings the tenor, or the instrument that play it. [1913 Webster]
- Old Tenor, New Tenor, Middle Tenor, different descriptions of paper money, issued at different periods, by the American colonial governments in the last century. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'tenor'
From: GCIDE
- high-pitched \high-pitched\ adj.
- 1. high in pitch or frequency; -- used of sounds and voices. Opposite of low. [Narrower terms: {adenoidal, pinched, nasal}; altissimo; alto; countertenor, alto; falsetto; peaky, spiky; piping; shrill, sharp; screaky, screechy, squeaking, squeaky, squealing; soprano, treble; sopranino; tenor]
- Syn: high. [WordNet 1.5]
- 2. set at a sharp or high angle or slant; as, a high-pitched roof.
- Syn: steeply pitched, steep. [WordNet 1.5] high-power
Synonyms of 'tenor'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- accompaniment,
- affective meaning,
- aim,
- alto,
- apograph,
- aria singer,
- azimuth,
- baritenor,
- baritone,
- bass,
- basso,
- basso buffo,
- basso cantante,
- basso continuo,
- basso ostinato,
- basso profundo,
- bassus,
- bearing,
- bent,
- bias,
- blues singer,
- body,
- body-build,
- brand,
- bravura,
- canary,
- cantatrice,
- canto,
- cantor,
- cantus,
- cantus figuratus,
- cantus planus,
- carbon,
- carbon copy,
- caroler,
- cast,
- chanter,
- chantress,
- character,
- characteristic,
- characteristics,
- choral,
- choric,
- coloratura,
- coloratura soprano,
- coloring,
- comic bass,
- complexion,
- composition,
- connotation,
- consequence,
- constituents,
- constitution,
- continuo,
- contralto,
- core,
- countertenor,
- course,
- crasis,
- crooner,
- current,
- deep bass,
- denotation,
- descant,
- dharma,
- diathesis,
- direction,
- direction line,
- disposition,
- diva,
- dramatic,
- dramatic soprano,
- drift,
- drone,
- effect,
- essence,
- ethos,
- extension,
- falsetto,
- fashion,
- fiber,
- fiche,
- figured bass,
- force,
- form,
- frame,
- genius,
- gist,
- glacial movement,
- grain,
- grammatical meaning,
- ground bass,
- guise,
- habit,
- head register,
- head tone,
- head voice,
- heading,
- Heldentenor,
- helmsmanship,
- heroic,
- heroic tenor,
- high,
- high-pitched,
- high-sounding,
- high-toned,
- hue,
- humor,
- humors,
- hymnal,
- hymner,
- idea,
- ilk,
- impact,
- implication,
- import,
- improvisator,
- inclination,
- inference,
- intension,
- intent,
- kind,
- lay,
- lead singer,
- lexical meaning,
- lie,
- lieder singer,
- line,
- line of direction,
- line of march,
- literal meaning,
- liturgical,
- lyric,
- main current,
- mainstream,
- makeup,
- male alto,
- manifold,
- manner,
- meaning,
- meat,
- Meistersinger,
- melodist,
- mezzo-soprano,
- microcopy,
- microfiche,
- microform,
- mode,
- mold,
- mood,
- motion,
- movement,
- nature,
- navigation,
- opera singer,
- operatic,
- orientation,
- overtone,
- part,
- pertinence,
- physique,
- piloting,
- pith,
- plain chant,
- plain song,
- point,
- practical consequence,
- prick song,
- prima donna,
- property,
- psalm singer,
- psalmic,
- psalmodial,
- psalmodic,
- purport,
- purpose,
- quality,
- quarter,
- range,
- range of meaning,
- real meaning,
- recording,
- reference,
- referent,
- relation,
- relevance,
- rock-and-roll singer,
- rubbing,
- run,
- sacred,
- scope,
- semantic cluster,
- semantic field,
- sense,
- set,
- shape,
- significance,
- signification,
- significatum,
- signifie,
- singer,
- singing,
- singstress,
- somatotype,
- songbird,
- songster,
- songstress,
- soprano,
- sort,
- span of meaning,
- spirit,
- stamp,
- steerage,
- steering,
- streak,
- stream,
- stripe,
- structural meaning,
- stuff,
- style,
- substance,
- suchness,
- sum,
- sum and substance,
- swing,
- symbolic meaning,
- system,
- temper,
- temperament,
- tendency,
- the general tendency,
- the main course,
- theme,
- thorough bass,
- thread,
- time spirit,
- tone,
- torch singer,
- totality of associations,
- tracing,
- track,
- transcript,
- transcription,
- transfer,
- transferred meaning,
- treble,
- trend,
- turn,
- type,
- unadorned meaning,
- undersong,
- undertone,
- value,
- vein,
- vocal,
- vocalist,
- vocalizer,
- voice,
- voice part,
- warbler,
- way,
- yodeler,
- Zeitgeist