alto

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: al=to

CIDE DICTIONARY

alto, n. [It. alto high, fr. L. altus. Cf. Alt.].

•  Formerly the part sung by the highest male, or counter-tenor, voices; now the part sung by the lowest female, or contralto, voices, between in tenor and soprano. In instrumental music it now signifies the tenor.  [1913 Webster]
•  An alto singer.  [1913 Webster]

Alto clef (Mus.) the counter-tenor clef, or the C clef, placed so that the two strokes include the middle line of the staff. Moore.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

alto, n. (pl. -os)
1 = CONTRALTO.
2 a the highest adult male singing-voice, above tenor. b a singer with this voice. c a part written for it.
3 a (attrib.) denoting the member of a family of instruments pitched second- or third-highest. b an alto instrument, esp. an alto saxophone.

Idiom

alto clef a clef placing middle C on the middle line of the staff, used chiefly for viola music.

Etymology

It. alto (canto) high (singing)

THESAURUS

alto

Heldentenor, Meistersinger, accompaniment, aria singer, baritenor, baritone, bass, basso, basso buffo, basso cantante, basso continuo, basso ostinato, basso profundo, bassus, blues singer, canary, cantatrice, canto, cantor, cantus, cantus figuratus, cantus planus, caroler, chanter, chantress, coloratura soprano, comic bass, continuo, contralto, countertenor, crooner, deep bass, descant, diva, dramatic soprano, drone, falsetto, figured bass, ground bass, head register, head tone, head voice, heroic tenor, hymner, improvisator, lead singer, lieder singer, line, male alto, melodist, mezzo-soprano, opera singer, part, plain chant, plain song, prick song, prima donna, psalm singer, rock-and-roll singer, singer, singstress, songbird, songster, songstress, soprano, tenor, thorough bass, torch singer, treble, undersong, vocalist, vocalizer, voice, voice part, warbler, yodeler

ROGET THESAURUS

alto

Stridor

N stridor, creak, creaking, discord, stridor, roughness, sharpness cacophony, cacoepy, acute note, high note, soprano, treble, tenor, alto, falsetto, penny trumpet, voce di testa, creaking, stridulous, harsh, coarse, hoarse, horrisonous, rough, gruff, grum, sepulchral, hollow, sharp, high, acute, shrill, trumpet-toned, piercing, ear-piercing, high-pitched, high-toned, cracked, discordant, cacophonous.