tenor

/ˈte-nər/

Middle English tenor, tenoure, tenure "main point of a document, intent of a legal agreement, continued presence or sustained course, part carrying the cantus firmus melody in contrapuntal music," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French tenur, tenure "import of a document," borrowed from Medieval Latin tenōr-, tenor "sustained course, continuity, condition, drift of a law or document, tone of the voice, cantus firmus melody in contrapuntal music," going back to Latin, "sustained course, continuity, tone of the voice," from tenēre "to hold, possess" + -ōr-, -or, going back to *-ōs-, deverbal noun suffix of state

noun

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

  2. the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus

  3. a member of a family of instruments having a range next lower than that of the alto

tendency trend drift tenor current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force. trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

adjective

  1. relating to or having the range or part of a tenor