Wiktionary

tenor

See also: Tenor, tenór, and ténor

English edit

 Tenor (disambiguation) on Wikipedia

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

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 (“I hold”). In music, from the notion of the one who holds the melody, as opposed to the countertenor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor (countable and uncountable, plural tenors)

Examples (A tenor singing "O Canada")
(file)
  1. (music) A musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
  2. A person, instrument, or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
  3. (archaic, music) A musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.
  4. The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.
  5. Tone, as of a conversation.
    • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 145:
      Colonel Walton, who had striven to check the conversation at moments when he became conscious of its tenor, now gladly engaged his guest on other and more legitimate topics.
  6. (obsolete) duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.
  7. (linguistics) The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.
  8. (finance) Time to maturity of a bond.
  9. Stamp; character; nature.
  10. (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.
    • 1523, Lord Berners, The Chronicle of Froissart:
      Than he shall delyuer to vs a tenour of that he ought to do.
  11. That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
      When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor.
    • 1832, Caroline Wilson, The Listener:
      He would have learned , by the whole tenor of the divine law , and especially by the example of the absent Lord , whose property he was for a season trusted with , that he was to do as much good to humanity , and win as much glory to God, as was compatible with the measure of his trust, and for the time for which he might retain it.
    • 1960 March, “Testing a rebuilt "Merchant Navy" Pacific of the S.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 169:
      The general tenor of the report on No. 35020 is that all the improvements in performance aimed at in the rebuilding of these engines have been achieved.
  12. (colloquial, music) A tenor saxophone.

Coordinate terms edit

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adjective edit

tenor (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range.
    He has a tenor voice.
    • 1962, Frank Howard Richardson, For Parents Only: The Doctor Discusses Discipline:
      Many a star athlete has very little hair anywhere except what he wears on top of his head, and a voice that is absolutely tenor.
    • 2009, Richard Smith, Can't You Hear Me Calling: The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass, Da Capo Press, →ISBN:
      Sometimes Charlie would sing notes that were more tenor than original melody, forcing Bill to sing a high baritone-style line.
    • 2012, Lily George, Captain of Her Heart, Harlequin, →ISBN, page 173:
      The door swung open, and a masculine voice—a little more tenor than Brookes's bass tones—called, “Brookes, come in. Do you have your colleague with you?”
    • 2015, Michael J. Senger Sr., The Connection, Lulu Press, Inc, →ISBN:
      Kahn was not a big man and he had a voice that was a little more tenor than most preferred.

Translations edit

See also edit

Anagrams edit

Catalan edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin tenōrem.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor m (plural tenors)

  1. (music) tenor

Noun edit

tenor m or (archaic) f (plural tenors)

  1. tone, tendency, tenor

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

Czech edit

Etymology edit

Latin teneo.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor m anim

  1. tenor (higher-range male singer)

Declension edit

Declension of tenor (hard masculine animate)
singular plural
nominative tenor tenoři
genitive tenora tenorů
dative tenorovi, tenoru tenorům
accusative tenora tenory
vocative tenore tenoři
locative tenorovi, tenoru tenorech
instrumental tenorem tenory

Noun edit

tenor m inan

  1. tenor (musical range)

Declension edit

Declension of tenor (hard masculine inanimate)
singular plural
nominative tenor tenory
genitive tenoru tenorů
dative tenoru tenorům
accusative tenor tenory
vocative tenore tenory
locative tenoru tenorech
instrumental tenorem tenory

Related terms edit

Related terms

Further reading edit

  • tenor in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • tenor in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
  • tenor in Internetová jazyková příručka

Danish edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /teˈnoːr/, [teˈnoˀɐ̯]

Noun edit

tenor c (singular definite tenoren, plural indefinite tenorer)

  1. tenor (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the tenor range)

Declension edit

Declension of tenor
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative tenor tenoren tenorer tenorerne
genitive tenors tenorens tenorers tenorernes

Further reading edit

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

From Middle Dutch tenore, from Medieval Latin tenor or Italian tenore, from Latin tenor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor m (plural tenoren or tenors)

  1. tenor

Derived terms edit

Ido edit

Verb edit

tenor

  1. future infinitive of tenar

Indonesian edit

 
Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈtɛnɔr]
  • Hyphenation: tè‧nor

Noun edit

tenor (first-person possessive tenorku, second-person possessive tenormu, third-person possessive tenornya)

  1. tenor:
    1. (music) a musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.
    2. (music) a person, instrument or group that performs in the tenor (higher than bass and lower than alto) range.
    3. (finance) time to maturity of a bond.

Further reading edit

Latin edit

Etymology edit

teneō (“to hold”) +‎ -or (“abstract noun suffix”)

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor m (genitive tenōris); third declension

  1. a sustained, continuous course or movement, a continuity of events, conditions etc. or way of proceeding
  2. a line of reasoning, point, gist of an utterance in so far as it decides legal questions whether individually or generally, a provision (either its wording or its meaning)
  3. a tone (of sound or color); stress (of the voice)
  4. (Medieval Latin) a seisin

Declension edit

Third-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative tenor tenōrēs
Genitive tenōris tenōrum
Dative tenōrī tenōribus
Accusative tenōrem tenōrēs
Ablative tenōre tenōribus
Vocative tenor tenōrēs

Descendants edit

Further reading edit

  • “tenor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “tenor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • tenor in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • “tenor” on page 2118 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)
  • Wacke, Andreas (2020 August 21) “Das Rechtswort: Tenor”, in Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte: Romanistische Abteilung (in German), volume 137, →DOI

Middle English edit

Noun edit

tenor

  1. Alternative form of tenour

Norwegian Bokmål edit

 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology edit

From Italian tenore, via French ténor and German Tenor.

Noun edit

tenor m (definite singular tenoren, indefinite plural tenorer, definite plural tenorene)

  1. tenor (singing voice or singer; pitch of a musical instrument)

References edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology edit

From Italian tenore, via French ténor and German Tenor.

Noun edit

tenor m (definite singular tenoren, indefinite plural tenorar, definite plural tenorane)

  1. tenor (singing voice or singer; pitch of a musical instrument)

References edit

Old French edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology 1 edit

From tenir, cf. also Late Latin tentor.

Noun edit

tenor oblique singular, m (oblique plural tenors, nominative singular tenors, nominative plural tenor)

  1. holder; possessor (one who possesses; one who has)
Descendants edit

Etymology 2 edit

Inherited from Latin tenor, tenōrem.

Noun edit

tenor oblique singular, f (oblique plural tenors, nominative singular tenor, nominative plural tenors)

  1. possession
  2. content (of a letter)

References edit

Polish edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Italian tenore, from Latin tenor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tenor m pers

  1. tenor (male singer who performs in the tenor range)

Declension edit

Declension of tenor
singular plural
nominative tenor tenorzy/tenory (deprecative)
genitive tenora tenorów
dative tenorowi tenorom
accusative tenora tenorów
instrumental tenorem tenorami
locative tenorze tenorach
vocative tenorze tenorzy

Noun edit

tenor m inan

  1. (music) tenor (musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto)
  2. tenor (instrument that performs in the tenor range)
  3. tone, overtone, message
    Synonyms: sens, wydźwięk

Declension edit

Declension of tenor
singular plural
nominative tenor tenory
genitive tenoru tenorów
dative tenorowi tenorom
accusative tenor tenory
instrumental tenorem tenorami
locative tenorze tenorach
vocative tenorze tenory

Further reading edit

  • tenor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • tenor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Italian tenore.[1][2] Doublet of teor.

Pronunciation edit

 
 

  • Rhymes: (Portugal, São Paulo) -oɾ, (Brazil) -oʁ
  • Hyphenation: te‧nor

Noun edit

tenor m (plural tenores)

  1. (music) tenor (musical range)
  2. (music) tenor (musical performer)

Adjective edit

tenor (invariable, not comparable)

  1. (music) tenor (of or relating to the tenor part or range)

References edit

  1. ^ “tenor” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
  2. ^ “tenor” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French ténor or Italian tenore.

Noun edit

tenor m (plural tenori)

  1. tenor

Declension edit

Declension of tenor
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) tenor tenorul (niște) tenori tenorii
genitive/dative (unui) tenor tenorului (unor) tenori tenorilor
vocative tenorule tenorilor

Spanish edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin tenōrem, with the sense of "tenor" taken from Italian tenore.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /teˈnoɾ/ [t̪eˈnoɾ]
  • Rhymes: -oɾ
  • Syllabification: te‧nor

Noun edit

tenor m (plural tenores)

  1. tenor
  2. (formal) sense, meaning

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

  • norte (see for more anagrams)

Tagalog edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Spanish tenor.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /teˈnoɾ/, [tɛˈnoɾ]
  • Hyphenation: te‧nor

Noun edit

tenór (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜒᜈᜓᜇ᜔)

  1. (music) tenor (musical range)
  2. singer with a tenor voice
  3. underlying meaning shown (by the drift of words or tone of voice)
    Synonyms: himig, tono, tunog, hagkis, pahiwatig
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