noun, plural al·tos.
- the lowest female voice; contralto.
- the highest male voice; countertenor.
- a singer with such a voice.
- a musical part for such a voice.
- the second highest of the four parts of a mixed vocal chorus, or the voices or persons singing this part.
- the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments, as the viola in the violin family or the althorn in the cornet family.
adjective
- of, relating to, or having the tonal range of the alto.
- (of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments: alto saxophone.
- variant of alti-: altostratus.
noun plural -tos
- the highest adult male voice; countertenor
- (in choral singing) a shortened form of contralto
- a singer with such a voice
- another name for viola 1 (def. 1)
- a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group
adjective
- denoting a flute, saxophone, etc, that is the third or fourth highest instrument in its group
combining form
- highaltocumulus; altostratus
1784, “man with an alto voice,” from Italian alto (canto), from Latin altus “high” (see old). Originally a “high” man’s voice, now more commonly applied to the lower range of women’s voices (which is more strictly the contralto), an extension first recorded in 1881.
The alto in a man is totally distinct from the contralto in a woman. The tone is utterly different — the best notes of the one are certainly not the best notes of the other; and although in certain cases a contralto may sing with good effect music written for a male alto (e.g. in some oratorios), yet the converse is scarcely ever true. [“How to Sing,” 1890]
As a type of saxophone, from 1869.
The lowest range of the female singing voice, also called contralto. (Compare mezzo soprano and soprano.)