tenor

See also: Tenor, tenór, and ténor

English

Alternative forms

• tenour (archaic)

Etymology

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

• (UK) IPA^(key): /tɛnə(ɹ)/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Homophone: tenner

Noun

tenor (countable and uncountable, plural tenors)

Examples (A tenor singing "O Canada")
Audio: (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.
   • 1790, Adam Smith, “Of the Beauty which the Appearance of Utility Bestows upon the Charactes and Actions of Men; […]”, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments; […] In Two Volumes, 6th edition, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell […]; Edinburgh: W[illiam] Creech, and J. Bell & Co., →OCLC, part IV, page 481:

     It is the conſciouſneſs of this merited approbation and eſteem which is alone capable of ſupporting the agent in this tenour of conduct.

   • 1751, Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard:

     Along the cool sequestered vale of life / They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

7. (linguistics) The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.
8. (finance) Time to maturity of a bond.
9. Stamp; character; nature.
   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor.

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

• (voice types): soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto (female, decreasing in pitch); countertenor, baritone, bass (male, decreasing in pitch)

Derived terms

• counter-tenor
• Old Tenor, Middle Tenor, New Tenor
• SATB
• tenor banjo
• tenor clef
• tenor drum
• tenor guitar
• tenor horn
• tenorial
• tenorist
• tenor of the times
• tenor recorder
• tenor sax
• tenor saxophone
• tenor trombone

 

Translations

(archaic) musical part or section

• Finnish: tenori (fi)
• German: Tenor (de) m

musical range

• Bulgarian: тенор (tenor)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 男高音 (zh) (nángāoyīn)

• Czech: tenor (cs) m
• Danish: tenor (da) c
• Estonian: tenor (et)
• Finnish: tenori (fi)
• French: ténor (fr) m
• Georgian: ტენორი (ṭenori)
• German: Tenor (de) m
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} tenor (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} tenór m
• Italian: tenore (it) m
• Japanese: テノール (ja) (tenōru)
• Maori: reo iere, reo ike
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tenor m

  Nynorsk: tenor m

• Portuguese: tenor (pt) m
• Russian: те́нор (ru) m (ténor)
• Swedish: tenor (sv) c

musical performer

• Bulgarian: тенор m (tenor)
• Estonian: tenor (et)
• Finnish: tenori (fi)
• Georgian: ტენორი (ṭenori)
• German: Tenor (de) m
• Hungarian: tenor (hu)
• Italian: tenore (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tenor m

  Nynorsk: tenor m

• Portuguese: tenor (pt) m
• Russian: те́нор (ru) m (ténor)
• Swedish: tenor (sv) c

tone

• Danish: tone c, mening c, hovedindhold n, indhold (da) n
• Finnish: sävy (fi)
• German: Tenor (de) m
• Hungarian: tónus (hu)
• Italian: tenore (it) m
• Maori: waihoe, hū
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tenor m

  Nynorsk: tenor m

linguistics

• Portuguese: teor (pt) m
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

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

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} tenor (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Tenor (de) m (1,2,3)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} tenore (it)
• Quechua: ^{(please verify)} karyisterem
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} tenor (sl) m
• Vietnamese:

  ^{(please verify)} bè têno (?)

  ^{(please verify)} tinh thần chung

  person: ^{(please verify)} giọng nam cao; instrument: ^{(please verify)} kèn têno

Adjective

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

of or pertaining to the tenor part or range

• Esperanto: tenora (eo)
• Finnish: tenori- (fi)
• Hungarian: tenor (hu)
• Italian: tenorile (it)
• Vietnamese: nam cao

See also

• tenor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Tenor in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• Norte, Toner, Trone, noter, toner, torne, trone

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tenōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [təˈnor]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Mallorca) [təˈno], (Menorca) [təˈnor]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [teˈnoɾ]

Noun

tenor m (plural tenors)

1. (music) tenor

Noun

tenor m or (archaic) f (plural tenors)

1. tone, tendency, tenor

Related terms

• tenir

Further reading

• “tenor” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Czech

Etymology

Latin teneo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɛnor]

Noun

tenor m anim

1. tenor (higher-range male singer)

Declension

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

tenor m inan

1. tenor (musical range)

Declension

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

Related terms

• abstinence
• abstinent
• abstinovat
• detence
• impertinentní
• kontejner
• kontinent
• kontinentální
• pertinentní
• retence
• tenis
• tenista

Further reading

• “tenor”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “tenor”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “tenor”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /teˈnoːr/, [teˈnoˀɐ̯]

Noun

tenor c (singular definite tenoren, plural indefinite tenorer)

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

Declension

Declension of tenor

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

Further reading

• “tenor” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “tenor” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /təˈnɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: te‧nor
• Rhymes: -ɔr

Noun

tenor m (plural tenoren or tenors)

1. tenor

Derived terms

• contratenor

Ido

Verb

tenor

1. future infinitive of tenar

Indonesian

Etymology

• From Dutch tenor, from Italian tenore, from Latin tenor.
• Semantic loan from English tenor for sense of time to maturity of a bond.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

• “tenor” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈte.nor/, [ˈt̪ɛnɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈte.nor/, [ˈt̪ɛːnor]

Noun

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

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	tenor	tenōrēs
genitive	tenōris	tenōrum
dative	tenōrī	tenōribus
accusative	tenōrem	tenōrēs
ablative	tenōre	tenōribus
vocative	tenor	tenōrēs

Descendants

• Catalan: tenor
• Old French: tenor
  • French: teneur, ténor
    • → Dutch: teneur
  • → English: tenor
• Galician: teor
• German: Tenor
• → Icelandic: tenór
• Italian: tenore
  • → Portuguese: tenor
• Portuguese: teor
• Sicilian: tinuri
• Spanish: tenor

Further reading

• “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

Noun

tenor

1. Alternative form of tenour

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian tenore, via French ténor and German Tenor.

Noun

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

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

References

• “tenor” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian tenore, via French ténor and German Tenor.

Noun

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

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

References

• “tenor” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Alternative forms

• tenëor
• tenour (Anglo-Norman)

Etymology 1

From tenir, cf. also Late Latin tentor.

Noun

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

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

Descendants

• French: teneur
  • → Dutch: teneur
• → English: tenor

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin tenor, tenōrem.

Noun

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

1. possession
2. content (of a letter)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (tenor, feminine noun, possession)
• tenure on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tenore, from Latin tenor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛ.nɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnɔr
• Syllabification: te‧nor

Noun

tenor m pers

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

Declension

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

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

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

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

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tenore. Doublet of teor.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /teˈnoʁ/ [teˈnoh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /teˈnoʁ/ [teˈnoh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /teˈnoɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /teˈnoʁ/ [teˈnoχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /teˈnoɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɨˈnoɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɨˈnoɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɨˈno.ɾi/

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

Noun

tenor m (plural tenores)

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

Adjective

tenor (invariable, not comparable)

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

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ténor or Italian tenore.

Noun

tenor m (plural tenori)

1. tenor

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	tenor	tenorul		tenori	tenorii
genitive-dative	tenor	tenorului		tenori	tenorilor
vocative	tenorule			tenorilor

Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

tenor m (plural tenores)

1. tenor
2. (formal) sense, meaning

Derived terms

• a tenor de

 

Further reading

• “tenor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

Anagrams

• norte (see for more anagrams)

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish tenor.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /teˈnoɾ/ [t̪ɛˈn̪oɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: te‧nor

Noun

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

Anagrams

• Norte, norte, terno