Tenor

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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.
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     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.
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              Does not the whole tenor of the divine law
              positively require humility and meekness to all men?
                                                    --Spart.
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     3. Stamp; character; nature.
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              This success would look like chance, if it were
              perpetual, and always of the same tenor. --Dryden.
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     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]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  tenor
       adj 1: (of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and
              baritone or bass; "a tenor sax"
       2: of or close in range to the highest natural adult male
          voice; "tenor voice"
       n 1: the adult male singing voice above baritone [syn: {tenor
            voice}]
       2: the pitch range of the highest male voice
       3: an adult male with a tenor voice
       4: pervading note of an utterance; "I could follow the general
          tenor of his argument" [syn: {strain}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  263 Moby Thesaurus words for "tenor":
     Heldentenor, Meistersinger, Zeitgeist, 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, 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, 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
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  TENOR, pleading. This word, applied to an instrument in pleading, signifies 
  an exact copy; it differs from purport. (q.v.) 2 Phil. Ev. 99; 2 Russ. on 
  Cr. 365; 1, Chit. Cr. Law, 235; 1 Mass. 203; 1 East, R. 180, and the cases 
  cited in the notes. In chancery practice, by tenor is understood a certified 
  copy of records of other courts removed into chancery by certiorari. Gresl. 
  Ev. 309.