contralto
noun
con·tral·to kən-ˈtral-(ˌ)tō 
plural contraltos
1
a
: a singing voice having a range between tenor and mezzo-soprano
b
: a person having this voice
2
: the part sung by a contralto
Example Sentences
a duet performed by a soprano and a contralto
Recent Examples on the Web From Natalie’s powerful contralto to the lush orchestrations to the ethereal piano, this is a work of consummate songcraft. 
Daniel De Visé, SPIN, 13 Sep. 2022 Handel wanted the villain Polinesso to be a second castrato, but none was available, so a contralto created the part. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 Critics delighted in her rich, fluid contralto voice, which easily handled the complex embellishments demanded of Rossini heroines. New York Times, 13 May 2022 Odetta was the secret-agent contralto, amplifying a history of pain others were using for sing-alongs. Sasha Frere-jones, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2022 By all reports, her wide-ranging contralto possessed the kind of resonant halo that technology is helpless to reproduce. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2021 The other excellent Iphigenias included Nivi Ravi, Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, Alexandra Smither and Sharmay Musacchio (though her impressive contralto was ill served by the bouncing vocal line of her Act II aria, made obvious by the sound design). Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2021 Singing soulfully but very quietly at first, her rich contralto builds in perfect sync with the stately tempo. Bill Adler, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021 Marian Anderson’s wide-ranging contralto possessed the kind of resonant halo that technology is helpless to reproduce. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2021 See More
Daniel De Visé, SPIN, 13 Sep. 2022 Handel wanted the villain Polinesso to be a second castrato, but none was available, so a contralto created the part. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 Critics delighted in her rich, fluid contralto voice, which easily handled the complex embellishments demanded of Rossini heroines. New York Times, 13 May 2022 Odetta was the secret-agent contralto, amplifying a history of pain others were using for sing-alongs. Sasha Frere-jones, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2022 By all reports, her wide-ranging contralto possessed the kind of resonant halo that technology is helpless to reproduce. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2021 The other excellent Iphigenias included Nivi Ravi, Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, Alexandra Smither and Sharmay Musacchio (though her impressive contralto was ill served by the bouncing vocal line of her Act II aria, made obvious by the sound design). Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2021 Singing soulfully but very quietly at first, her rich contralto builds in perfect sync with the stately tempo. Bill Adler, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021 Marian Anderson’s wide-ranging contralto possessed the kind of resonant halo that technology is helpless to reproduce. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Italian, from contra- + alto
First Known Use
1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
contralto
noun
con·tral·to kən-ˈtral-tō
plural contraltos
1
: the lowest female singing voice : alto
2
: a singer with a low female singing voice