Tenor vs. Tone

Tenor (noun)

Musical range or section higher than bass and lower than alto.

Tenor (noun)

A person, instrument{{,}} or group that performs in the tenor higher than bass and lower than alto range.

Tenor (noun)

Musical part or section that holds or performs the main melody, as opposed to the contratenor bassus and contratenor altus, who perform countermelodies.

Tenor (noun)

The lowest tuned in a ring of bells.

Tenor (noun)

Tone, as of a conversation.

Tenor (noun)

duration; continuance; a state of holding on in a continuous course; general tendency; career.

Tenor (noun)

The subject in a metaphor to which attributes are ascribed.

Tenor (noun)

Time to maturity of a bond.

Tenor (noun)

Stamp; character; nature.

Tenor (noun)

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.

Tenor (noun)

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

Tenor (noun)

An tenor saxophone

Tenor (adjective)

Of or pertaining to the tenor part or range.

“He has a tenor voice.”

Tone (noun)

A specific pitch.

Tone (noun)

(in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.

Tone (noun)

(in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.

Tone (noun)

The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.

Tone (noun)

General character, mood, or trend.

“Her rousing speech gave an upbeat tone to the rest of the evening.”

Tone (noun)

The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.

Tone (noun)

A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.

“Children often read with a tone.”

Tone (noun)

The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.

Tone (noun)

State of mind; temper; mood.

Tone (noun)

The shade or quality of a colour.

Tone (noun)

The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.

“This picture has tone.”

Tone (noun)

The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ. see also: tonus

Tone (noun)

The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.

Tone (noun)

Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.

Tone (verb)

to give a particular tone to

Tone (verb)

to change the colour of

Tone (verb)

to make (something) firmer

Tone (verb)

to harmonize, especially in colour

Tone (verb)

To utter with an affected tone.

Tone (pronoun)

The one (of two).

Tenor (noun)

a singing voice between baritone and alto or countertenor, the highest of the ordinary adult male range

“he had a good tenor voice”

“the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings”

Tenor (noun)

a singer with a tenor voice.

Tenor (noun)

a part written for a tenor voice

“several members of the party had been able to put in the tenor and the bass”

Tenor (noun)

an instrument, especially a saxophone, trombone, tuba, or viol, of the second or third lowest pitch in its family

“a tenor sax”

Tenor (noun)

the largest and deepest bell of a ring or set.

Tenor (noun)

the general meaning, sense, or content of something

“the general tenor of the debate”

Tenor (noun)

a settled or prevailing character or direction, especially the course of a person’s life or habits

“the even tenor of life in the kitchen was disrupted the following day”

Tenor (noun)

the actual wording of a document.

Tenor (noun)

the time that must elapse before a bill of exchange or promissory note becomes due for payment.

Tone (noun)

a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength

“they were speaking in hushed tones”

“the piano tone appears lacking in warmth”

Tone (noun)

a modulation of the voice expressing a particular feeling or mood

“a firm tone of voice”

Tone (noun)

a musical note or other sound used as a signal on a telephone or answering machine.

Tone (noun)

the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

“there was a general tone of ill-concealed glee in the reporting”

“my friend and I lowered the tone with our oafish ways”

Tone (noun)

an atmosphere of respectability or class

“they don’t feel he gives the place tone”

Tone (noun)

a basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second

“the B flat clarinet’s part is written one tone higher than the pitch required”

Tone (noun)

the particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of a colour

“an attractive colour which is even in tone and texture”

“stained glass in vivid tones of red and blue”

Tone (noun)

the general effect of colour or of light and shade in a picture.

Tone (noun)

a slight degree of difference in the intensity of a colour.

Tone (noun)

(in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions.

Tone (noun)

(in some languages, such as English) intonation on a word or phrase used to add functional meaning.

Tone (noun)

the normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle

“a reduction of muscle tone”

“a certain amount of daily exercise is essential to maintain proper body tone and function”

Tone (noun)

the normal level of activity in a nerve fibre

“vagal tone”

Tone (verb)

give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a muscle)

“exercise tones up the muscles”

Tone (verb)

(of a muscle or other bodily part) became stronger or firmer

“his leg muscles had toned up”

Tone (verb)

harmonize with (something) in terms of colour

“the rich orange colour of the wood tones beautifully with the yellow roses”

Tone (verb)

give (a monochrome picture) an altered colour in finishing by means of a chemical solution

“it’s a good idea to sepia tone the whole print first”