¹tenor

noun ten·or \ˈte-nər\

: the highest adult male singing voice; also : a singer who has such a voice

: the general or basic quality or meaning of something

Full Definition of TENOR

a : the drift of something spoken or written : purport

b : an exact copy of a writing : transcript

c : the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor

a : the melodic line usually forming the cantus firmus in medieval music

b : the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus

c : the highest natural adult male singing voice; also : a person having this voice

d : a member of a family of instruments having a range next lower than that of the alto

: a continuance in a course, movement, or activity

: habitual condition : character

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Origin of TENOR

Middle English tenour, from Anglo-French, from Latin tenor uninterrupted course, from tenēre to hold — more at thin

First Known Use: 14th century

Synonym Discussion of TENOR

tendency, trend, drift, tenor, current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force <a general tendency toward inflation>. trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course <the long-term trend of the stock market is upward>. drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces <the drift of the population away from large cities> or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse <got the drift of her argument>. tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course <the tenor of the times>. current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course <an encounter that changed the current of my life>.