tenorn.¹adj.

Brit.

/ˈtɛnə/, U.S.

/ˈtɛnər/

Forms: Also Middle English tenur, Middle English–1500s tenoure, Middle English–1800s tenour, Middle English tenowre, teneur, 1500s tenore, tener, tennour, ( teanor), 1500s–1600s tennor, 1600s tenner. β. Middle English–1700s tenure (Middle English teneure).

Etymology: < Old French tenor, -our, 13th cent. (also tenoire , -eure , -ure , 13–14th centuries), modern French teneur (feminine), substance, import of a document, etc. < Latin tenōr-em course, import (of a law, etc.), < tenēre to hold. The musical term was in 14–15th cent. French tenor masculine and feminine, ‘a tenor part, voice, or singer’, modern French ténor (masculine), after Italian tenore and medieval Latin tenor , to which also the English word in all senses has been conformed. Confusion with tenure n. prevailed from 13th to 18th centuries: see β.

A. n.¹

I. Senses relating to continuous meaning or purpose.

a. The course of meaning which holds on or continues through something written or spoken; the general sense or meaning of a document, speech, etc.; substance, purport, import, effect, drift.In technical legal use (as in French) implying the actual wording of a document, or a transcript thereof (distinguished from effect): cf. A. 1b proving of the tenor (Sc. Law): see quot. 1838.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > drift, tenor, purport > [noun]

sentence?c1225

intent1303

tenora1387

intendment1390

strengthc1390

porta1393

meaningc1395

process1395

continencea1398

purposec1400

substance1415

purport1422

matterc1450

storyc1450

containing1477

contenu1477

retinue1484

fecka1500

content1513

drift1526

intention1532

vein1543

importing1548

scope1549

importance1552

course1553

force1555

sense?1556

file1560

intelliment?1562

proporta1578

preport1583

import1588

importment1602

carriage1604

morala1616

significancy1641

amount1678

purview1688

sentiment1713

capacity1720

spirit1742

message1828

thrust1968

messaging1977

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 35 Þe tenor of his laws was suche.

a1400 K. Alis. 2977 Anothir lettre he sent heom tho, And of a more bitter tenour.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17614 Þai did þan for to write a writt—þis þan was þe tenur of hit.

1413–22 Queen Margaret Lett. (Camden) 22 Youre gracieux letters of prive seal, the teneur of the which we have wel understand.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts viii. 32 The tener off the scripture which he redde was this.

1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 355 This wes the tennour that tyme of thair band.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 200 Hee..receiues letters of strange tenor .

1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 112 This is the tenour of the New Covenant.

1703 London Gaz. No. 3953/1 (Scotl.) Act for proving the Tenor in Favours of Anna Cockburn.

1825 T. Jefferson Autobiogr. in Wks. (1859) I. 10 The tenor of these propositions being generally known.

1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. at Proving The terms of a deed which has been lost or destroyed may be proved in an action peculiar to the Court of Session, called an action of proving the tenor.

1870 A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford I. i. 20 Such was the general tenour of Mrs. Mitford's letters.

β. 1292 Britton vi. iv. §9 Solom la tenure del Pone (tr. according to the tenor of the Pone).] a1400 K. Alis. (Bodl.) 1707 A letter par amoure Of whiche swiche was þe tenure.1427 Rolls of Parl. IV. 332/2 Ayeins the teneure and forme of the saide Statutes.1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 11 Certen Indentures wherof the tenure hereafter ensuyth.1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 232 Bid me teare the bond. Shy. When it is payd, according to the tenure . 1682 London Gaz. No. 1733/4 According to the Tenure of his Majesties Letters Patents.

b. concrete. An exact copy of a document, a transcript. (In quot. 1523, a written statement.) Now technical: see sense A. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written text > [noun] > transcript or copy

transcriptc1290

copyc1330

exemplara1382

again-writingc1384

transumption1412

tenorc1450

examplea1475

transumpt1480

duplicate1532

exemplary1534

double1543

duplicament1574

manuscript1600

apograph1601

exscript1609

exscription1637

transcription1649

autograph1868

c1450 Godstow Reg. 366 Even as hit apperith of submyssions of the same parties, Tenouris of the which folow bynethe.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccxii. 257 Than he shall delyuer to vs a tenour of that he ought to do.

1588 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) iv. xviii. 591 Sometimes they are to certifie and send vp onely a Tenor (or Transcript) as I sayd, of the Record.

1842 S. Greenleaf Law Evid. (1844) I. §502. 575 In such cases, nothing is returned but the tenor, that is, a literal transcript of the record, under the seal of the Court.

c. The value of a bank note or bill as stated on it: in old tenor, middle tenor, new tenor, referring to the successive issues of paper currency in the colonies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 18th cent. Historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun] > a banknote > writing or printing on > value as stated on note

tenor1740

1740 W. Douglass Disc. Currencies Brit. Plantations in Amer. 40 All bills of the old Tenor when brought into their Treasury, to issue out no more.

1811 J. Adams Wks. (1854) IX. 638 It is worse than old tenor, continental currency, or any other paper money.

1878 F. A. Walker Money xv. 319 In 1741 the Assembly made 6s. 9d. of the new-tenor equal to 27 shillings of the old.

1878 F. A. Walker Money xv. 320 By act of 1770, the old-tenor notes were to be exchanged at this rate.

d. The underlying idea or subject to which a metaphor refers, as distinct from the literal meaning of the words used. Cf. vehicle n. 7.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of meaning > [noun] > metaphor > subject of

tenor1936

1936 I. A. Richards Philos. Rhetoric v. 96 A first step is to introduce two technical terms to assist us in distinguishing..what Dr. Johnson called the two ideas that any metaphor, at its simplest, gives us. Let me call them the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor, as I am calling it—[is] the underlying idea or principal subject which the vehicle or figure means.

1936 I. A. Richards Philos. Rhetoric v. 100 The tenor may become almost a mere excuse for the introduction of the vehicle, and so no longer be ‘the principal subject’.

1949 Poetry (Chicago) Feb. 304 The tenor is the new meaning, the vehicle the old meaning on which the new meaning is conveyed.

1962 S. D. Ullmann Princ. Semantics viii. 213 An important factor in the effectiveness of a metaphor is the distance between tenor and vehicle.

1973 A. Rodway in R. Fowler Dict. Mod. Crit. Terms 112 In the phrase ‘Now is the winter of our discontent’..discontentedness is the tenor, and an aspect of winter..the vehicle.

1980 G. B. Caird Lang. & Imagery of Bible viii. 152 In a living metaphor, although both speaker and hearer are aware that vehicle and tenor are distinct entities, they are not grasped as two but as one.

†a. The action or fact of holding on or continuing; continuance, duration. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > lasting quality, permanence > [noun] > continuance, duration

arrestc1386

continuance1393

tenor1398

lasta1400

lastinga1400

abiding?a1425

demur1533

remanence1558

subsistence1600

continualness1611

incessancy?1615

continuancy1621

uncessantness1627

mansion1637

subsistency1642

remanency1647

unintermissiveness1651

indesinency1657

continuation1664

unintermission1681

incessantness1727

unceasingness1727

unintermittingness1866

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) vi. i Þe age is of a man notȝ elles is but tenour and during of kinde vertues.

1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) v. iv. sig. qq.ii ^v The melodye of the glorye of the blessyd shall not haue tenour yf the paynes of the dampned were not eternalle.

1628 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 3) i. i. i. v. 12 T'is most absurd..for any mortall man to looke for a perpetuall tenor of happinesse in this life.

a1694 J. Tillotson Serm. (1742) IV. 539 Let not a perpetual tenor of health and pleasure soften and dissolve your spirits.

b. Continuous progress, course, movement (of action, etc.); way of proceeding, procedure.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > (a) course of conduct or action

wayeOE

pathOE

waya1225

tracea1300

line13..

dancea1352

tenor1398

featc1420

faction1447

rink?a1500

footpath1535

trade1536

vein1549

tract1575

course1582

road1600

country dance1613

track1638

steeragea1641

rhumb1666

tack1675

conduct1706

walk1755

wheel-way1829

the world > action or operation > continuing > progress, advance, or further continuance > [noun] > continuous progress or advance of anything

tenor1398

coursec1460

passage1579

current1587

racec1590

profluencea1639

runlong1674

development1756

fore-march1822

upbuilding1876

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum viii. ii. (Tollem. MS.) Heuen with his roundnesse and cerclis forsakeþ nouȝt, noþer leueþ þe sadde tenor of his ordre.

1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. vii. sig. G6 Ne ought mote make him change his wonted tenor .

1676 M. Hale Contempl. Moral & Divine i. 400 The constant tenour of a just, virtuous, and pious life.

1751 T. Gray Elegy xix. 9 Along the cool sequester'd vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

1784 S. Johnson Let. 26 June (1994) IV. 337 A continual tenour of distress allowed him few opportunities.

1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision I. x. 43 She of thy life The future tenour will to thee unfold.

1865 J. R. Seeley Ecce Homo (ed. 8) iv. 29 The contrast between Christ's pretensions and the homely tenour of his life.

β. c1721 W. Gibson True Method dieting Horses xii. 185 A continued easy Motion, and one constant Tenure in Feeding.

c. The length of time that a bill is drawn to run before presentation for payment.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [noun] > use of bills of exchange > state of being due for payment > time allowed for payment

usance1487

grace1697

uso1704

indulgence1827

tenor1866

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 100 The tenor [of foreign bills]..depends upon a variety of circumstances, and may be extended to almost any period, provided the parties thereto are agreed.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 101 The term ‘usance’..denotes the customary tenor at which bills are drawn.

3. Quality, character, nature; condition, state.

†a. in physical sense; in early use esp. quality of tone (cf. A. 4). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [noun] > sound > quality of sound

tonea1500

tenor1530

colour1866

clang-tint1867

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > [noun]

birtha1250

the manner ofc1300

formc1310

propertyc1390

naturea1393

condition1393

qualitya1398

temperc1400

taragec1407

naturality?a1425

profession?a1439

affecta1460

temperament1471

essence?1533

affection1534

spirit?1534

temperature1539

natural spirit1541

character1577

complexion1589

tincture1590

idiom1596

qualification1602

texture1611

connativea1618

thread1632

genius1639

complexure1648

quale1654

indoles1672

suchness1674

staminaa1676

trim1707

tenor1725

colouring1735

tint1760

type1843

aura1859

thusness1883

physis1923

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun]

kindeOE

i-cundeOE

mannera1225

jetc1330

colour1340

hair1387

estrete1393

gendera1398

hedea1400

savourc1400

stockc1450

toucha1500

rate1509

barrel1542

suit1548

fashion1562

special1563

stamp1573

family1598

garb1600

espece1602

kidney1602

bran1610

formality1610

editiona1627

make1660

cast1673

tour1702

way1702

specie1711

tenor1729

ilk1790

genre1816

stripe1853

persuasion1855

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 47 The redar shall sounde them all under one tenour, and never rest upon them nor lyft up his voice.

1595 E. Spenser Epithalamion in Amoretti & Epithalamion i. sig. G4 Your string could soone to sadder tenor turne.

1618 Bp. J. Hall Righteovs Mammon 5 There can be no harmonie, where all the strings or voices are of one tenour.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Elm The Tenor of the Grain makes it also fit for all Kinds of Carved-Work.

1729 G. Shelvocke, Jr. tr. K. Siemienowicz Great Art Artillery ii. 90 The Air in them must be of the same Tenor with the circumambient Air.

b. in non-physical sense: the way in which a thing continues; esp. habitual condition of mind. Now rare or merged in A. 2b.

ΚΠ

1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. v. 126 No fault or blemish, to confound the tennors of the stiles for that cause.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 587 No Force..shall..shake the stedfast Tenour of my Mind.

1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful ii. §9. 54 The senses strongly affected in some one manner, cannot quickly change their tenor.

1831 T. Carlyle in Fraser's Mag. Mar. 132/2 Spiritual, of calm tenour.

II. Musical senses.

4. Music.

a. The adult male voice intermediate between the bass and the counter-tenor or alto, usually ranging from the octave below middle C to the A above it; also, the part sung by such a voice, being the next above the bass in vocal part-music.So called apparently because the melody or canto fermo was formerly allotted to this part.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [noun] > tenor

tenor1388

tenorya1500

tenore1740

taille1842

Heldentenor1926

society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > part-song > a part in > tenor

tenor1388

tenorya1500

1388 in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1859) I. 277 Perauenture on ware post sumptum temporis plausus, A cowntur-tenur at Newgat cantabit carcere clausus.

c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 54 Treble meene and tenor discordyng as I gesse.

c1460 Wisdom 620 in Macro Plays 55 Mynde. A tenowur to yow bothe I brynge;..Wyll. And, but a trebull I owt wrynge, The deuell hym spede, þat myrthe exyled!

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 280/1 Tenour a parte in pricke songe, teneur.

1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke ii. 100 You haue your plainsong changed from parte to part, firste in the treble, next in the tenor, lastlie in the base.

1656 A. Cowley Davideis i. 13 in Poems Water and Air he for the Tenor chose, Earth made the Base, the Treble Flame arose.

a1791 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VIII. 319 When they [singers] would teach a tune to the congregation, they must sing only the tenor.

1873 E. E. Hale In his Name vi. 49 The voice was a perfectly clear and pure tenor.

b. A singer with a tenor voice; one who sings the tenor part; a tenor singer.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > singer by type of voice > [noun] > tenor

tenor?c1475

tenorist1865

tenore1876

Heldentenor1926

?c1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 782 Than shall ye go to your euensong, With tenours and trebles a mong.

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Tenor, or he that singeth a tenor, succentor.

1616 in E. F. Rimbault Old Cheque-bk. Chapel Royal (1872) 9 The next place that shall..fall voyd by the deathe of any tenor.

1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto IV lxxxvii. 114 The tenor's voice is spoilt by affectation.

1884 F. M. Crawford Rom. Singer i He asked me if I would not let him educate that young tenor.

c. = tenor bell n. at Compounds 2. second tenor (quot. 1541), the next bell to the tenor. Also (quot. 1560) applied to a string of tenor pitch in an instrument, as a harp.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > bell > [noun] > set of bells > specific one of

fore-bell1484

tenor bell1522

treble bell1530

tenor1541

treble1598

bourdon1927

1541 in T. Wright Churchwardens' Accts. Ludlow (1869) 7 Payde..for mendynge the whele of ye secounde tenor..ij d.

1560 J. Heywood Fourth Hundred Epygrams xlvi. sig. Bii^v Which string..wolost thou..harpe on. Not the base..Nor the standyng tennor... Nor the counter tennor.

a1627 T. Middleton Mayor of Quinborough (1661) v. i. 64 Let the Bells ring... 'Las the Tenor's broken, ring out the Treble.

1909 Daily Chron. 1 Oct. 7/2 The present ‘tenor’, as the deepest bell of a peal is always called, was cast here in 1738.

d. A name for the tenor violin or viola n.²

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viola

tenor violin1654

alto viola1724

tenor1785

viola1786

alto1788

viola pomposa1864

1785 Daily Universal Reg. 1 Jan. 3/2 (advt.) Mr. Giardini's capital old Violins, Tenors, and Violoncellos for sale.

1833 Penny Cycl. I. 404 Alto..called in England the Tenor, and by the Italians, the Viola.

1878 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 5) i. 11 The tenor, or viol da braccia, was larger than the modern tenor, or viola.

1883 H. R. Haweis in Gentleman's Mag. July 48 He learns the violon~cello or tenor.

1884 Girl's Own Paper Nov. 21/2 The viola is sometimes called the tenor, but the former is the preferable name.

e. elliptical for tenor saxophone n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > saxophone > types of

baritone1685

alto saxophone1856

soprano saxophone1856

tenor saxophone1865

soprano1876

tenor1876

alto sax1909

alto1921

baritone horn1949

soprano sax1971

1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 385/2 Saxophones..are six in number, the high, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass.

1927 Melody Maker Aug. 738 (advt.) The manufacturers..have been hailed as the saviours of Tenor Saxophonists through their innovation of the astounding B♭ tenor with the extra automatic octave note.

1952 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. vi. 52 The scoring of two altos, two tenors, and a baritone in the present-day dance band.

1975 Gramophone Aug. 375/3 ‘The Foremost!’ is devoted to three tenors and a baritone saxist from the bop era.

B. adj.

Applied to a voice, part, instrument, string, etc. of the pitch described in sense A. 4 above, or intermediate between bass and alto.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adjective] > intermediate in pitch

tenor1522

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [adjective] > tenor

tenor1522

1522 [see tenor bell n. at Compounds 2].

1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke i. 21 In the Tenor part of the Gloria of his Masse Aue Maris stella.

1609 B. Jonson Masque of Queens in Wks. (1616) 964 That most excellent tenor voyce.

a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. §33 30 The Bishop himself bearing the Tenour part among them often.

1838–9 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation (1863) 127 Their voices seem oftener tenor than any other quality.

Compounds

C1. (sense A. 4d) tenor-maker, ( A. 4e) tenor-man, tenor player, tenor solo, tenor soloist, tenor style, ( A. 4c) tenor-wheel.

ΚΠ

1648–9 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 219 Mending y^e Tenor Wheele—1 s.

1852 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 4) ix. 344 Martin Hoffman, and Hunger, both of Leipsic, were excellent as tenor makers.

1928 Melody Maker Feb. 201/2 Quite a few successful tenor players.

1935 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 38/2 Tenor-men like Hawkins or Fletcher Henderson, are stars in the hot sky.

1943 P. E. Miller Yearbk. Pop. Music 8/2 He borrowed a tenor from a fellow musician, sat in on a jam session, and from that point forward became a hot tenorman.

1958 R. Horricks in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz ix. 118 The prominent tenor soloists outshone even those of the New York scene.

1959 ‘F. Newton’ Jazz Scene ii. 35 A fine tenor player in the Parker tradition.

1962 Melody Maker 21 July 7/3 The perfect tenor style for Dixieland jazz.

1966 Crescendo Dec. 9/2 Good clarinet, trumpet and tenor solos.

1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' viii. 125 Tenor men are not that hard to find.

C2. See also tenor cor n. at cor n.³ b.

tenor banjo n. see banjo n. 1b.

tenor bell n. the largest bell of a peal or set.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > bell > [noun] > set of bells > specific one of

fore-bell1484

tenor bell1522

treble bell1530

tenor1541

treble1598

bourdon1927

1522 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) For a bawdryk to the tenoure bell.

tenor C n. the note an octave below middle C, being the lowest note of a tenor voice.

tenor clarinet n. an alto clarinet pitched in F; also, one who plays this instrument.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > wind player > [noun] > clarinet-player

clarionet1826

clarinettist1864

clarionetist1865

tenor clarinet1879

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > clarinet > types of

alto clarinet1831

basset-horn1835

tenor clarinet1879

chalumeau1880

pedal clarionet1891

1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 362/2 In F we have the tenor clarinet.

1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) II. 326/2 The higher-pitched of the two [alto clarinets] was long known as the ‘tenor clarinet’ in England.

tenor clef n. the C clef when placed upon the fourth line of the stave.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > clefs

clef1579

B clef1597

G1597

G clef1725

soprano clef1786

treble clef1786

tenor clef1806

violin clef1876

alto clef1879

1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 10 The Tenor Clef is used for the middle voices of men.

tenor drum n. a drum that is higher pitched than a bass drum.

ΚΠ

1819 Providence (Rhode Island) Patriot 24 July Mons. Hellene..will play on the Italian Violi, Pardean Pipes, Chinese Bells, Turkish Cymbals, and Tenor Drum, at the same time.

1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 466/2 The Tenor-drum is similar to the side-drum, only larger, and has no snares.

1888 tr. Riemann's Catechism Mus. Instr. v. 100 The tenor-drum used for rolls (tamburo rullante) has likewise no snares (strings of catgut) and sounds therefore dull and gloomy (though much higher than the big-drum).

1940 G. Jacob Orchestral Technique (ed. 2) vii. 72 Such things as the tenor drum..need not be spoken of in detail.

tenor horn n. = althorn n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > brass instruments > [noun] > saxhorn > types of

alto-horn1850

althorn1854

flügelhorn1854

saxotromba1856

sax-tuba1856

tenor horn1859

euphonium1862

barytone1863

mellophone1901

peck horn1926

tenor cor1928

mellophonium1932

1859 C. Mandel Treat. Instrumentation Milit. Bands 38 The Tenor Horn or Baryton (Alt-Horn in B Flat).

1958 T. Hall in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xix. 229 He was mainly featured on an E-flat tenor-horn, which produced a mellophone-like sound.

tenor saxophone n. (also tenor sax) a member of the saxophone family intermediate between the alto and the baritone, usually pitched in B flat; also, one who plays this instrument; hence tenor saxist, tenor sax-man, tenor saxophonist.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > saxophone > types of

baritone1685

alto saxophone1856

soprano saxophone1856

tenor saxophone1865

soprano1876

tenor1876

alto sax1909

alto1921

baritone horn1949

soprano sax1971

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > wind player > [noun] > saxophone-player

saxophonist1865

alto saxophonist1902

alto saxist1926

sax1926

saxophone1929

honker1934

saxist1939

altoist1946

tenor saxophone1954

baritonist1958

tenorist1958

1865 C. Mandel Mandel's Syst. Mus. xvi. 68 There are various kinds of Saxophones. The smallest, or Soprano Saxophone, is in B flat... The..Tenor Saxophone is an octave lower than the Soprano Saxophone.

1926 P. Whiteman & M. M. McBride Jazz ix. 193 We have computed..that one tenor saxophone equals eight violas.

1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz vi. 127 A brilliant tenor sax was unmistakable.

1938 D. Baker Young Man with Horn i. iv. 40 There were five men in Jeff's band—a tenor sax, a trombone, a trumpet, traps, and a piano.

1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) VII. 434/2 Occasionally in the years just before 1917 the tenor saxophone did supplement the trombone and the soprano the clarinet, particularly in the rather larger and more highly organized bands on the Mississippi river boats.

1955 O. Keepnews & W. Grauer Pict. Hist. Jazz x. 110 Key members included tenor sax Andy Brown.

1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz 118 Christy, June, singer... Married Kenton's tenor saxman, Bob Cooper.

1963 Listener 7 Feb. 264/1 Two virtuoso tenor sax players.

1979 Listener 4 Oct. 461/3 Charlie Parker..plays tenor-sax on the Miles Davis set.

1955 Jazzbook 1955 15 Within the ranks of this band he met up with tenor saxist Chu Berry, trombonist Tyree Glenn, bassist Milton Hinton.1972 Guardian 4 Feb. 10/5 No one strove harder than the tenor saxist John Coltrane.1927 Melody Maker Aug. 738 (advt.) The manufacturers..have been hailed as the saviours of Tenor Saxophonists through their innovation of the astounding B♭ tenor with the extra automatic octave note.1979 Country Life 12 July 95/2 A..solo by tenor saxophonist Steve Marcus.

tenor violin n. (also †tenor viol) the viola.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viola

tenor violin1654

alto viola1724

tenor1785

viola1786

alto1788

viola pomposa1864

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viol > small viol

tenor violin1654

violetta1740

violette1884

pardessus de viole1889

pardessus1954

1654 J. Playford Breefe Introd. Skill Musick 32 The Tenor-Violl is an excellent inward part.

1802 A. Rees Cycl. (at cited word) Alto viola, the tenor violin, in opposition to the bass viol.

1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) VIII. 809/1 The true Tenor Violin was the alto of the viola da braccio family... The gradual suppression of this instrument in the 18th century was a disaster: neither the lower register of the viola nor the upper register of the violoncello can give its effect.

Derivatives

tenor v.¹ (intransitive) (with it) to sing tenor.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > sing specific part

counterc1440

quatreblea1527

tenor1893

1893 Scribner's Mag. 14 61 A tame cornet tenored it throatily Of beer-pots and spittoons.

ˈtenoring adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adjective] > with tenor quality

tenoring1905

1905 H. G. Wells Mod. Utopia iv. 127 It is not only such gross and palpable cases as our blond and tenoring friend.

1930 H. G. Wells Autocracy Mr. Parham ii. iii. 119 ‘But,’ said Mr. Mountain in tenoring remonstrance to Sir Bussy, ‘doesn't this evening satisfy you, sir?’

1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. II. viii. 602 Bland was a thick-set, broad-faced aggressive man..with a tenoring voice.

ˈtenorless adj. having no tenor or purport.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > absence of meaning > [adjective]

emptya1225

sleevelessc1450

dumb1531

insensible1538

senseless1579

weetless1579

unsignificant1603

surd1605

matterless1612

unmeaning1632

non-significative1633

brute1642

shelly1648

insignificant1651

insignificative1660

unsignificative1664

unsignifying1665

unsensed1667

meaningless1728

bilka1734

meanless1734

inexpressive1744

unideal1751

unexpressive1755

idealess1793

unsuggestive1797

tenorless1821

themeless1840

nonsensible1851

inarticulate1855

purportless1865

expressionless1871

vacuous1872

contentless1886

unmeaningful1897

1821 J. Bentham Elements Art of Packing 265 The purely conjectural, tenorless, uncognoscible, and impostrous state of unwritten, alias common law.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	tenor
释义	tenorn.¹adj. Brit. /ˈtɛnə/, U.S. /ˈtɛnər/ Forms: Also Middle English tenur, Middle English–1500s tenoure, Middle English–1800s tenour, Middle English tenowre, teneur, 1500s tenore, tener, tennour, ( teanor), 1500s–1600s tennor, 1600s tenner. β. Middle English–1700s tenure (Middle English teneure). Etymology: < Old French tenor, -our, 13th cent. (also tenoire , -eure , -ure , 13–14th centuries), modern French teneur (feminine), substance, import of a document, etc. < Latin tenōr-em course, import (of a law, etc.), < tenēre to hold. The musical term was in 14–15th cent. French tenor masculine and feminine, ‘a tenor part, voice, or singer’, modern French ténor (masculine), after Italian tenore and medieval Latin tenor , to which also the English word in all senses has been conformed. Confusion with tenure n. prevailed from 13th to 18th centuries: see β. A. n.¹ I. Senses relating to continuous meaning or purpose. 1. a. The course of meaning which holds on or continues through something written or spoken; the general sense or meaning of a document, speech, etc.; substance, purport, import, effect, drift.In technical legal use (as in French) implying the actual wording of a document, or a transcript thereof (distinguished from effect): cf. A. 1b proving of the tenor (Sc. Law): see quot. 1838. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > drift, tenor, purport > [noun] sentence?c1225 intent1303 tenora1387 intendment1390 strengthc1390 porta1393 meaningc1395 process1395 continencea1398 purposec1400 substance1415 purport1422 matterc1450 storyc1450 containing1477 contenu1477 retinue1484 fecka1500 content1513 drift1526 intention1532 vein1543 importing1548 scope1549 importance1552 course1553 force1555 sense?1556 file1560 intelliment?1562 proporta1578 preport1583 import1588 importment1602 carriage1604 morala1616 significancy1641 amount1678 purview1688 sentiment1713 capacity1720 spirit1742 message1828 thrust1968 messaging1977 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 35 Þe tenor of his laws was suche. a1400 K. Alis. 2977 Anothir lettre he sent heom tho, And of a more bitter tenour. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17614 Þai did þan for to write a writt—þis þan was þe tenur of hit. 1413–22 Queen Margaret Lett. (Camden) 22 Youre gracieux letters of prive seal, the teneur of the which we have wel understand. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts viii. 32 The tener off the scripture which he redde was this. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 355 This wes the tennour that tyme of thair band. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 200 Hee..receiues letters of strange tenor . View more context for this quotation 1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 112 This is the tenour of the New Covenant. 1703 London Gaz. No. 3953/1 (Scotl.) Act for proving the Tenor in Favours of Anna Cockburn. 1825 T. Jefferson Autobiogr. in Wks. (1859) I. 10 The tenor of these propositions being generally known. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. at Proving The terms of a deed which has been lost or destroyed may be proved in an action peculiar to the Court of Session, called an action of proving the tenor. 1870 A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford I. i. 20 Such was the general tenour of Mrs. Mitford's letters. β. 1292 Britton vi. iv. §9 Solom la tenure del Pone (tr. according to the tenor of the Pone).] a1400 K. Alis. (Bodl.) 1707 A letter par amoure Of whiche swiche was þe tenure.1427 Rolls of Parl. IV. 332/2 Ayeins the teneure and forme of the saide Statutes.1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 11 Certen Indentures wherof the tenure hereafter ensuyth.1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 232 Bid me teare the bond. Shy. When it is payd, according to the tenure . View more context for this quotation1682 London Gaz. No. 1733/4 According to the Tenure of his Majesties Letters Patents. b. concrete. An exact copy of a document, a transcript. (In quot. 1523, a written statement.) Now technical: see sense A. 1a. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written text > [noun] > transcript or copy transcriptc1290 copyc1330 exemplara1382 again-writingc1384 transumption1412 tenorc1450 examplea1475 transumpt1480 duplicate1532 exemplary1534 double1543 duplicament1574 manuscript1600 apograph1601 exscript1609 exscription1637 transcription1649 autograph1868 c1450 Godstow Reg. 366 Even as hit apperith of submyssions of the same parties, Tenouris of the which folow bynethe. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccxii. 257 Than he shall delyuer to vs a tenour of that he ought to do. 1588 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) iv. xviii. 591 Sometimes they are to certifie and send vp onely a Tenor (or Transcript) as I sayd, of the Record. 1842 S. Greenleaf Law Evid. (1844) I. §502. 575 In such cases, nothing is returned but the tenor, that is, a literal transcript of the record, under the seal of the Court. c. The value of a bank note or bill as stated on it: in old tenor, middle tenor, new tenor, referring to the successive issues of paper currency in the colonies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 18th cent. Historical. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun] > a banknote > writing or printing on > value as stated on note tenor1740 1740 W. Douglass Disc. Currencies Brit. Plantations in Amer. 40 All bills of the old Tenor when brought into their Treasury, to issue out no more. 1811 J. Adams Wks. (1854) IX. 638 It is worse than old tenor, continental currency, or any other paper money. 1878 F. A. Walker Money xv. 319 In 1741 the Assembly made 6s. 9d. of the new-tenor equal to 27 shillings of the old. 1878 F. A. Walker Money xv. 320 By act of 1770, the old-tenor notes were to be exchanged at this rate. d. The underlying idea or subject to which a metaphor refers, as distinct from the literal meaning of the words used. Cf. vehicle n. 7. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of meaning > [noun] > metaphor > subject of tenor1936 1936 I. A. Richards Philos. Rhetoric v. 96 A first step is to introduce two technical terms to assist us in distinguishing..what Dr. Johnson called the two ideas that any metaphor, at its simplest, gives us. Let me call them the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor, as I am calling it—[is] the underlying idea or principal subject which the vehicle or figure means. 1936 I. A. Richards Philos. Rhetoric v. 100 The tenor may become almost a mere excuse for the introduction of the vehicle, and so no longer be ‘the principal subject’. 1949 Poetry (Chicago) Feb. 304 The tenor is the new meaning, the vehicle the old meaning on which the new meaning is conveyed. 1962 S. D. Ullmann Princ. Semantics viii. 213 An important factor in the effectiveness of a metaphor is the distance between tenor and vehicle. 1973 A. Rodway in R. Fowler Dict. Mod. Crit. Terms 112 In the phrase ‘Now is the winter of our discontent’..discontentedness is the tenor, and an aspect of winter..the vehicle. 1980 G. B. Caird Lang. & Imagery of Bible viii. 152 In a living metaphor, although both speaker and hearer are aware that vehicle and tenor are distinct entities, they are not grasped as two but as one. 2. †a. The action or fact of holding on or continuing; continuance, duration. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > lasting quality, permanence > [noun] > continuance, duration arrestc1386 continuance1393 tenor1398 lasta1400 lastinga1400 abiding?a1425 demur1533 remanence1558 subsistence1600 continualness1611 incessancy?1615 continuancy1621 uncessantness1627 mansion1637 subsistency1642 remanency1647 unintermissiveness1651 indesinency1657 continuation1664 unintermission1681 incessantness1727 unceasingness1727 unintermittingness1866 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) vi. i Þe age is of a man notȝ elles is but tenour and during of kinde vertues. 1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) v. iv. sig. qq.ii ^v The melodye of the glorye of the blessyd shall not haue tenour yf the paynes of the dampned were not eternalle. 1628 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 3) i. i. i. v. 12 T'is most absurd..for any mortall man to looke for a perpetuall tenor of happinesse in this life. a1694 J. Tillotson Serm. (1742) IV. 539 Let not a perpetual tenor of health and pleasure soften and dissolve your spirits. b. Continuous progress, course, movement (of action, etc.); way of proceeding, procedure. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > (a) course of conduct or action wayeOE pathOE waya1225 tracea1300 line13.. dancea1352 tenor1398 featc1420 faction1447 rink?a1500 footpath1535 trade1536 vein1549 tract1575 course1582 road1600 country dance1613 track1638 steeragea1641 rhumb1666 tack1675 conduct1706 walk1755 wheel-way1829 the world > action or operation > continuing > progress, advance, or further continuance > [noun] > continuous progress or advance of anything tenor1398 coursec1460 passage1579 current1587 racec1590 profluencea1639 runlong1674 development1756 fore-march1822 upbuilding1876 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum viii. ii. (Tollem. MS.) Heuen with his roundnesse and cerclis forsakeþ nouȝt, noþer leueþ þe sadde tenor of his ordre. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. vii. sig. G6 Ne ought mote make him change his wonted tenor . View more context for this quotation 1676 M. Hale Contempl. Moral & Divine i. 400 The constant tenour of a just, virtuous, and pious life. 1751 T. Gray Elegy xix. 9 Along the cool sequester'd vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. 1784 S. Johnson Let. 26 June (1994) IV. 337 A continual tenour of distress allowed him few opportunities. 1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision I. x. 43 She of thy life The future tenour will to thee unfold. 1865 J. R. Seeley Ecce Homo (ed. 8) iv. 29 The contrast between Christ's pretensions and the homely tenour of his life. β. c1721 W. Gibson True Method dieting Horses xii. 185 A continued easy Motion, and one constant Tenure in Feeding. c. The length of time that a bill is drawn to run before presentation for payment. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [noun] > use of bills of exchange > state of being due for payment > time allowed for payment usance1487 grace1697 uso1704 indulgence1827 tenor1866 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 100 The tenor [of foreign bills]..depends upon a variety of circumstances, and may be extended to almost any period, provided the parties thereto are agreed. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 101 The term ‘usance’..denotes the customary tenor at which bills are drawn. 3. Quality, character, nature; condition, state. †a. in physical sense; in early use esp. quality of tone (cf. A. 4). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [noun] > sound > quality of sound tonea1500 tenor1530 colour1866 clang-tint1867 the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > [noun] birtha1250 the manner ofc1300 formc1310 propertyc1390 naturea1393 condition1393 qualitya1398 temperc1400 taragec1407 naturality?a1425 profession?a1439 affecta1460 temperament1471 essence?1533 affection1534 spirit?1534 temperature1539 natural spirit1541 character1577 complexion1589 tincture1590 idiom1596 qualification1602 texture1611 connativea1618 thread1632 genius1639 complexure1648 quale1654 indoles1672 suchness1674 staminaa1676 trim1707 tenor1725 colouring1735 tint1760 type1843 aura1859 thusness1883 physis1923 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun] kindeOE i-cundeOE mannera1225 jetc1330 colour1340 hair1387 estrete1393 gendera1398 hedea1400 savourc1400 stockc1450 toucha1500 rate1509 barrel1542 suit1548 fashion1562 special1563 stamp1573 family1598 garb1600 espece1602 kidney1602 bran1610 formality1610 editiona1627 make1660 cast1673 tour1702 way1702 specie1711 tenor1729 ilk1790 genre1816 stripe1853 persuasion1855 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 47 The redar shall sounde them all under one tenour, and never rest upon them nor lyft up his voice. 1595 E. Spenser Epithalamion in Amoretti & Epithalamion i. sig. G4 Your string could soone to sadder tenor turne. 1618 Bp. J. Hall Righteovs Mammon 5 There can be no harmonie, where all the strings or voices are of one tenour. 1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Elm The Tenor of the Grain makes it also fit for all Kinds of Carved-Work. 1729 G. Shelvocke, Jr. tr. K. Siemienowicz Great Art Artillery ii. 90 The Air in them must be of the same Tenor with the circumambient Air. b. in non-physical sense: the way in which a thing continues; esp. habitual condition of mind. Now rare or merged in A. 2b. ΚΠ 1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. v. 126 No fault or blemish, to confound the tennors of the stiles for that cause. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 587 No Force..shall..shake the stedfast Tenour of my Mind. 1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful ii. §9. 54 The senses strongly affected in some one manner, cannot quickly change their tenor. 1831 T. Carlyle in Fraser's Mag. Mar. 132/2 Spiritual, of calm tenour. II. Musical senses. 4. Music. a. The adult male voice intermediate between the bass and the counter-tenor or alto, usually ranging from the octave below middle C to the A above it; also, the part sung by such a voice, being the next above the bass in vocal part-music.So called apparently because the melody or canto fermo was formerly allotted to this part. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [noun] > tenor tenor1388 tenorya1500 tenore1740 taille1842 Heldentenor1926 society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > part-song > a part in > tenor tenor1388 tenorya1500 1388 in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1859) I. 277 Perauenture on ware post sumptum temporis plausus, A cowntur-tenur at Newgat cantabit carcere clausus. c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 54 Treble meene and tenor discordyng as I gesse. c1460 Wisdom 620 in Macro Plays 55 Mynde. A tenowur to yow bothe I brynge;..Wyll. And, but a trebull I owt wrynge, The deuell hym spede, þat myrthe exyled! 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 280/1 Tenour a parte in pricke songe, teneur. 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke ii. 100 You haue your plainsong changed from parte to part, firste in the treble, next in the tenor, lastlie in the base. 1656 A. Cowley Davideis i. 13 in Poems Water and Air he for the Tenor chose, Earth made the Base, the Treble Flame arose. a1791 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VIII. 319 When they [singers] would teach a tune to the congregation, they must sing only the tenor. 1873 E. E. Hale In his Name vi. 49 The voice was a perfectly clear and pure tenor. b. A singer with a tenor voice; one who sings the tenor part; a tenor singer. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > singer by type of voice > [noun] > tenor tenor?c1475 tenorist1865 tenore1876 Heldentenor1926 ?c1475 Sqr. lowe Degre 782 Than shall ye go to your euensong, With tenours and trebles a mong. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Tenor, or he that singeth a tenor, succentor. 1616 in E. F. Rimbault Old Cheque-bk. Chapel Royal (1872) 9 The next place that shall..fall voyd by the deathe of any tenor. 1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto IV lxxxvii. 114 The tenor's voice is spoilt by affectation. 1884 F. M. Crawford Rom. Singer i He asked me if I would not let him educate that young tenor. c. = tenor bell n. at Compounds 2. second tenor (quot. 1541), the next bell to the tenor. Also (quot. 1560) applied to a string of tenor pitch in an instrument, as a harp. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > bell > [noun] > set of bells > specific one of fore-bell1484 tenor bell1522 treble bell1530 tenor1541 treble1598 bourdon1927 1541 in T. Wright Churchwardens' Accts. Ludlow (1869) 7 Payde..for mendynge the whele of ye secounde tenor..ij d. 1560 J. Heywood Fourth Hundred Epygrams xlvi. sig. Bii^v Which string..wolost thou..harpe on. Not the base..Nor the standyng tennor... Nor the counter tennor. a1627 T. Middleton Mayor of Quinborough (1661) v. i. 64 Let the Bells ring... 'Las the Tenor's broken, ring out the Treble. 1909 Daily Chron. 1 Oct. 7/2 The present ‘tenor’, as the deepest bell of a peal is always called, was cast here in 1738. d. A name for the tenor violin or viola n.² ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viola tenor violin1654 alto viola1724 tenor1785 viola1786 alto1788 viola pomposa1864 1785 Daily Universal Reg. 1 Jan. 3/2 (advt.) Mr. Giardini's capital old Violins, Tenors, and Violoncellos for sale. 1833 Penny Cycl. I. 404 Alto..called in England the Tenor, and by the Italians, the Viola. 1878 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 5) i. 11 The tenor, or viol da braccia, was larger than the modern tenor, or viola. 1883 H. R. Haweis in Gentleman's Mag. July 48 He learns the violon~cello or tenor. 1884 Girl's Own Paper Nov. 21/2 The viola is sometimes called the tenor, but the former is the preferable name. e. elliptical for tenor saxophone n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > saxophone > types of baritone1685 alto saxophone1856 soprano saxophone1856 tenor saxophone1865 soprano1876 tenor1876 alto sax1909 alto1921 baritone horn1949 soprano sax1971 1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 385/2 Saxophones..are six in number, the high, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass. 1927 Melody Maker Aug. 738 (advt.) The manufacturers..have been hailed as the saviours of Tenor Saxophonists through their innovation of the astounding B♭ tenor with the extra automatic octave note. 1952 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. vi. 52 The scoring of two altos, two tenors, and a baritone in the present-day dance band. 1975 Gramophone Aug. 375/3 ‘The Foremost!’ is devoted to three tenors and a baritone saxist from the bop era. B. adj. Applied to a voice, part, instrument, string, etc. of the pitch described in sense A. 4 above, or intermediate between bass and alto. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [adjective] > intermediate in pitch tenor1522 society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > singing voice > [adjective] > tenor tenor1522 1522 [see tenor bell n. at Compounds 2]. 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke i. 21 In the Tenor part of the Gloria of his Masse Aue Maris stella. 1609 B. Jonson Masque of Queens in Wks. (1616) 964 That most excellent tenor voyce. a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. §33 30 The Bishop himself bearing the Tenour part among them often. 1838–9 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation (1863) 127 Their voices seem oftener tenor than any other quality. Compounds C1. (sense A. 4d) tenor-maker, ( A. 4e) tenor-man, tenor player, tenor solo, tenor soloist, tenor style, ( A. 4c) tenor-wheel. ΚΠ 1648–9 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 219 Mending y^e Tenor Wheele—1 s. 1852 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 4) ix. 344 Martin Hoffman, and Hunger, both of Leipsic, were excellent as tenor makers. 1928 Melody Maker Feb. 201/2 Quite a few successful tenor players. 1935 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 38/2 Tenor-men like Hawkins or Fletcher Henderson, are stars in the hot sky. 1943 P. E. Miller Yearbk. Pop. Music 8/2 He borrowed a tenor from a fellow musician, sat in on a jam session, and from that point forward became a hot tenorman. 1958 R. Horricks in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz ix. 118 The prominent tenor soloists outshone even those of the New York scene. 1959 ‘F. Newton’ Jazz Scene ii. 35 A fine tenor player in the Parker tradition. 1962 Melody Maker 21 July 7/3 The perfect tenor style for Dixieland jazz. 1966 Crescendo Dec. 9/2 Good clarinet, trumpet and tenor solos. 1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' viii. 125 Tenor men are not that hard to find. C2. See also tenor cor n. at cor n.³ b. tenor banjo n. see banjo n. 1b. tenor bell n. the largest bell of a peal or set. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > bell > [noun] > set of bells > specific one of fore-bell1484 tenor bell1522 treble bell1530 tenor1541 treble1598 bourdon1927 1522 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) For a bawdryk to the tenoure bell. tenor C n. the note an octave below middle C, being the lowest note of a tenor voice. tenor clarinet n. an alto clarinet pitched in F; also, one who plays this instrument. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > wind player > [noun] > clarinet-player clarionet1826 clarinettist1864 clarionetist1865 tenor clarinet1879 society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > clarinet > types of alto clarinet1831 basset-horn1835 tenor clarinet1879 chalumeau1880 pedal clarionet1891 1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 362/2 In F we have the tenor clarinet. 1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) II. 326/2 The higher-pitched of the two [alto clarinets] was long known as the ‘tenor clarinet’ in England. tenor clef n. the C clef when placed upon the fourth line of the stave. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > clefs clef1579 B clef1597 G1597 G clef1725 soprano clef1786 treble clef1786 tenor clef1806 violin clef1876 alto clef1879 1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 10 The Tenor Clef is used for the middle voices of men. tenor drum n. a drum that is higher pitched than a bass drum. ΚΠ 1819 Providence (Rhode Island) Patriot 24 July Mons. Hellene..will play on the Italian Violi, Pardean Pipes, Chinese Bells, Turkish Cymbals, and Tenor Drum, at the same time. 1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 466/2 The Tenor-drum is similar to the side-drum, only larger, and has no snares. 1888 tr. Riemann's Catechism Mus. Instr. v. 100 The tenor-drum used for rolls (tamburo rullante) has likewise no snares (strings of catgut) and sounds therefore dull and gloomy (though much higher than the big-drum). 1940 G. Jacob Orchestral Technique (ed. 2) vii. 72 Such things as the tenor drum..need not be spoken of in detail. tenor horn n. = althorn n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > brass instruments > [noun] > saxhorn > types of alto-horn1850 althorn1854 flügelhorn1854 saxotromba1856 sax-tuba1856 tenor horn1859 euphonium1862 barytone1863 mellophone1901 peck horn1926 tenor cor1928 mellophonium1932 1859 C. Mandel Treat. Instrumentation Milit. Bands 38 The Tenor Horn or Baryton (Alt-Horn in B Flat). 1958 T. Hall in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xix. 229 He was mainly featured on an E-flat tenor-horn, which produced a mellophone-like sound. tenor saxophone n. (also tenor sax) a member of the saxophone family intermediate between the alto and the baritone, usually pitched in B flat; also, one who plays this instrument; hence tenor saxist, tenor sax-man, tenor saxophonist. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > wind instrument > woodwind instruments > [noun] > reed instrument > saxophone > types of baritone1685 alto saxophone1856 soprano saxophone1856 tenor saxophone1865 soprano1876 tenor1876 alto sax1909 alto1921 baritone horn1949 soprano sax1971 society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > wind player > [noun] > saxophone-player saxophonist1865 alto saxophonist1902 alto saxist1926 sax1926 saxophone1929 honker1934 saxist1939 altoist1946 tenor saxophone1954 baritonist1958 tenorist1958 1865 C. Mandel Mandel's Syst. Mus. xvi. 68 There are various kinds of Saxophones. The smallest, or Soprano Saxophone, is in B flat... The..Tenor Saxophone is an octave lower than the Soprano Saxophone. 1926 P. Whiteman & M. M. McBride Jazz ix. 193 We have computed..that one tenor saxophone equals eight violas. 1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz vi. 127 A brilliant tenor sax was unmistakable. 1938 D. Baker Young Man with Horn i. iv. 40 There were five men in Jeff's band—a tenor sax, a trombone, a trumpet, traps, and a piano. 1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) VII. 434/2 Occasionally in the years just before 1917 the tenor saxophone did supplement the trombone and the soprano the clarinet, particularly in the rather larger and more highly organized bands on the Mississippi river boats. 1955 O. Keepnews & W. Grauer Pict. Hist. Jazz x. 110 Key members included tenor sax Andy Brown. 1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz 118 Christy, June, singer... Married Kenton's tenor saxman, Bob Cooper. 1963 Listener 7 Feb. 264/1 Two virtuoso tenor sax players. 1979 Listener 4 Oct. 461/3 Charlie Parker..plays tenor-sax on the Miles Davis set. 1955 Jazzbook 1955 15 Within the ranks of this band he met up with tenor saxist Chu Berry, trombonist Tyree Glenn, bassist Milton Hinton.1972 Guardian 4 Feb. 10/5 No one strove harder than the tenor saxist John Coltrane.1927 Melody Maker Aug. 738 (advt.) The manufacturers..have been hailed as the saviours of Tenor Saxophonists through their innovation of the astounding B♭ tenor with the extra automatic octave note.1979 Country Life 12 July 95/2 A..solo by tenor saxophonist Steve Marcus. tenor violin n. (also †tenor viol) the viola. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viola tenor violin1654 alto viola1724 tenor1785 viola1786 alto1788 viola pomposa1864 society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > bowable instrument > [noun] > viol > small viol tenor violin1654 violetta1740 violette1884 pardessus de viole1889 pardessus1954 1654 J. Playford Breefe Introd. Skill Musick 32 The Tenor-Violl is an excellent inward part. 1802 A. Rees Cycl. (at cited word) Alto viola, the tenor violin, in opposition to the bass viol. 1954 Grove's Dict. Music (ed. 5) VIII. 809/1 The true Tenor Violin was the alto of the viola da braccio family... The gradual suppression of this instrument in the 18th century was a disaster: neither the lower register of the viola nor the upper register of the violoncello can give its effect. Derivatives tenor v.¹ (intransitive) (with it) to sing tenor. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > sing specific part counterc1440 quatreblea1527 tenor1893 1893 Scribner's Mag. 14 61 A tame cornet tenored it throatily Of beer-pots and spittoons. ˈtenoring adj. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adjective] > with tenor quality tenoring1905 1905 H. G. Wells Mod. Utopia iv. 127 It is not only such gross and palpable cases as our blond and tenoring friend. 1930 H. G. Wells Autocracy Mr. Parham ii. iii. 119 ‘But,’ said Mr. Mountain in tenoring remonstrance to Sir Bussy, ‘doesn't this evening satisfy you, sir?’ 1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. II. viii. 602 Bland was a thick-set, broad-faced aggressive man..with a tenoring voice. ˈtenorless adj. having no tenor or purport. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > absence of meaning > [adjective] emptya1225 sleevelessc1450 dumb1531 insensible1538 senseless1579 weetless1579 unsignificant1603 surd1605 matterless1612 unmeaning1632 non-significative1633 brute1642 shelly1648 insignificant1651 insignificative1660 unsignificative1664 unsignifying1665 unsensed1667 meaningless1728 bilka1734 meanless1734 inexpressive1744 unideal1751 unexpressive1755 idealess1793 unsuggestive1797 tenorless1821 themeless1840 nonsensible1851 inarticulate1855 purportless1865 expressionless1871 vacuous1872 contentless1886 unmeaningful1897 1821 J. Bentham Elements Art of Packing 265 The purely conjectural, tenorless, uncognoscible, and impostrous state of unwritten, alias common law. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022). tenorn.² Forms: Also Middle English tenowre, 1700s–1800s tenner. Etymology: Variant of tenon n.¹ Now regional. = tenon n.¹ ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > wooden structures or wooden parts of > means of fitting together > types of joint > projecting part of joint tenon14.. tenora1485 rabbet1678 dovetail1691 relish1703 teaze-tenon1703 coak1794 table1794 tusk tenon1825 tonguing1841 tongue1842 pin1847 cog1858 stub-tenon1875 cross-tongue1876 a1485 Promptorium Parvulorum MS. S. (1908) 476 Tenowre, knytting of a balk or odyre lyk tymbre, cenaculum. 1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Qiij Instead of a Collar made on the Forks, we make Tenners, so that the Forks are Tennered at both ends, and the Sliders are Slotted at both Ends to receive the Forks. 1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Tenner, a tenon. Compounds tenor-saw n. = tenon-saw n. at tenon n.¹ Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > saw > [noun] > for cutting wood > tenon tenon-saw1549 tenor-saw1851 traverse saw1867 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes 33 You're just as rough 's a tenor saw. Derivatives tenor v.² = tenon v. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > cut or furnish with tongue or groove mortise1703 tongue1733 tenor1747 tenon1770 chase1823 relish1865 plough1866 cross-tongue1901 1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Qiij Instead of a Collar made on the Forks, we make Tenners, so that the Forks are Tennered at both ends, and the Sliders are Slotted at both Ends to receive the Forks. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online December 2020). < n.¹adj.a1387n.²a1485
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tenorn.1adj.

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tenorn.2

Compounds

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tenorn.¹adj.

tenorn.²