tenor

[tenĀ·or]

Think of a tenor as a tone in music, it's the range between baritone and alto in the human voice or in an instrument such as a tenor saxophone. It also is the "tone" or meaning of a spoken comment.

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A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career.

Noun
the pitch range of the highest male voice

Noun
pervading note of an utterance; "I could follow the general tenor of his argument"

Noun
the adult male singing voice above baritone

Noun
an adult male with a tenor voice

Adjective S.
of or close in range to the highest natural adult male voice; "tenor voice"

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Adjective S.
(of a musical instrument) intermediate between alto and baritone or bass; "a tenor sax"


n.
A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career.

n.
That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.

n.
Stamp; character; nature.

n.
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.

n.
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.

n.
A person who sings the tenor, or the instrument that play it.


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.
Along the cool sequestered vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their away.
2. That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding.
When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor.
Does not the whole tenor of the divine law positively require humility and meekness to all men?
3. Stamp; character; nature.
This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor.
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. 5. [F. t'82nor, 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. Old Tenor, New Tenor, Middle Tenor, different descriptions of paper money, issued at different periods, by the American colonial governments in the last century.

A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career.

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Usage Examples

An artist must be a reactionary. He has to stand out against the tenor of the age and not go flopping along.

Misspelled Form

tenor, rtenor, 5tenor, 6tenor, ytenor, gtenor, renor, 5enor, 6enor, yenor, genor, trenor, t5enor, t6enor, tyenor, tgenor, twenor, t3enor, t4enor, trenor, tsenor, tdenor, twnor, t3nor, t4nor, trnor, tsnor, tdnor, tewnor, te3nor, te4nor, ternor, tesnor, tednor, tebnor, tehnor, tejnor, temnor, te nor, tebor, tehor, tejor, temor, te or, tenbor, tenhor, tenjor, tenmor, ten or, tenior, ten9or, ten0or, tenpor, tenlor, tenir, ten9r, ten0r, tenpr, tenlr, tenoir, teno9r, teno0r, tenopr, tenolr, tenoer, teno4r, teno5r, tenotr, tenofr, tenoe, teno4, teno5, tenot, tenof, tenore, tenor4, tenor5, tenort, tenorf.

Other Usage Examples

Religion creates community, community creates altruism and altruism turns us away from self and towards the common good... There is something about the tenor of relationships within a religious community that makes it the best tutorial in citizenship and good neighborliness.

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