tes·si·tu·ra \ˌtesəˈtu̇rə\noun (-s) Etymology: Italian, literally, texture, from Latin textura — more at texture : the general range of a melody or voice part; specifically: the part of the register in which most of the tones of a melody or voice part lie < wrote always with the colors and tessituras of instruments and voices clear in his mind — Times Literary Supplement >