alto
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian alto (“high”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæl.təʊ/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈæl.toʊ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -æltəʊ
Noun
alto (plural altos or alti)
- A musical part or section higher than tenor and lower than soprano, formerly the part that performed a countermelody above the tenor or main melody.
- A person or musical instrument that performs the alto part.
- (colloquial, music) An alto saxophone
Usage notes
- Nouns often modified by "alto": saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder, part, solo, voice, singer.
Synonyms
- (musical part or section): contratenor altus, high countertenor
Coordinate terms
- (music) SATB (Initialism of soprano, alto, tenor, bass.)
Derived terms
- alto clef
- alto cliff
- alto horn
- alto recorder
- alto sax
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Further reading
alto on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
- ATOL, Toal, a lot, alot, atlo-, lota, talo-, tola
Asturian
Adjective
alto n sg
- neuter singular of altu
Dutch
Etymology
From a shortening of alternatieveling or alternatief + -o.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑl.toː/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: al‧to
Noun
alto m (plural alto's)
- (Netherlands, derogatory) Someone who participates in an alternative subculture (e.g. a hipster, emo or punk).
- Synonyms: alternatieveling, alternativo
Esperanto
Etymology
alta + -o.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalto/
Audio (file)
Noun
alto (accusative singular alton, plural altoj, accusative plural altojn)
- height; elevation; altitude
- (Can we date this quote?), Vladimír Váňa (translator), Aventuroj de la Brava Soldato Ŝvejk dum la Mondmilito (The Good Soldier Švejk) by Jaroslav Hašek, Part 1, Chapter 15,
- Pri kio morgaŭ prelegi al unujaraj volontuloj en la lernejo? Ĉu pri tio, kiel ni difinas la alton de monteto? Kial ni mezuras la alton ĉiam de la marnivelo? Kiel el altoj super la marnivelo elkalkuli propran alton de la monteto ekde ĝia piedo?
- What should he lecture on to the volunteers in the school tomorrow? How do we determined the height of a given hill? Why do we reckon the height from sea level? How can we establish from its height above sea level the height of a mountain from its foot? (Cecil Parrott translation, Heinemann, 1973)
- Pri kio morgaŭ prelegi al unujaraj volontuloj en la lernejo? Ĉu pri tio, kiel ni difinas la alton de monteto? Kial ni mezuras la alton ĉiam de la marnivelo? Kiel el altoj super la marnivelo elkalkuli propran alton de la monteto ekde ĝia piedo?
- (Can we date this quote?), Sergio Pokrovskij (translator), La Majstro kaj Margarita (The Master and Margarita) by Mikhail Bulgakov, Book Two, Chapter 24,
- [...] la peza fenestra kurteno ŝoviĝis flanken, la fenestro larĝe malfermiĝis kaj en la fora alto vidiĝis la plena [...] luno.
- [...] the heavy curtain over the window was pushed aside, the window opened wide, and high above (lit. in the distant height) appeared the full moon.
- [...] la peza fenestra kurteno ŝoviĝis flanken, la fenestro larĝe malfermiĝis kaj en la fora alto vidiĝis la plena [...] luno.
- (Can we date this quote?), Vladimír Váňa (translator), Aventuroj de la Brava Soldato Ŝvejk dum la Mondmilito (The Good Soldier Švejk) by Jaroslav Hašek, Part 1, Chapter 15,
See also
- alteco
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /al.to/
Audio (file)
Noun
alto m (plural altos)
- (music) alto
- (music) Ellipsis of violon alto.; viola
Further reading
- “alto”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Galician
Etymology
From Old Galician and Old Portuguese alto, from Latin altus. This form is probably semi-learned or influenced by learned orthography, as with Portuguese alto and Spanish alto. Cf. also the now archaic form outo, which was probably popularly inherited from an unattested hypothetical *outo, present also in place names as Montouto (“High-hill”), from the same Latin word (compare also Old Spanish oto).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈaltʊ]
Adjective
alto m (feminine singular alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas)
- tall
- high
- (nautical) deep
Antonyms
- (high): baixo
Derived terms
- altura
Related terms
- alzar
Noun
alto m (plural altos)
- top; high place
Adverb
alto
- high
References
- “alto” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
- “alto” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
- “alto” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
- “alto” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
- “alto” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
Italian
Etymology
From Latin altus (“high”), from Proto-Italic *altos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós, derived from the root *h₂el- (“to grow, nourish”). Cognate with English old and Welsh allt.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈal.to/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -alto
- Hyphenation: àl‧to
Adjective
alto (feminine alta, masculine plural alti, feminine plural alte, superlative altissimo)
- high, tall
- Antonym: basso
- L'uomo alto è il mio padre. ― The tall man is my father.
- deep
- uno stagno alto 4 metri ― a pond 4 meters deep
- loud
- ad alta voce ― in a loud voice
Derived terms
- altamente
- altimetro
- Alto Adige
- altocumulo
- altolocato
- altopiano
- altostrato
- Alto Volta
- altura
Related terms
- altare
- altezza
- altisonante
- altitonante
- altitudine
- alzare
Descendants
- → English: alto
- → German: Alt
Further reading
- alto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Anagrams
- lato, talo
Ladino
Etymology
From Latin altus.
Adjective
alto (Latin spelling, feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas)
- high
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈal.toː/, [ˈäɫ̪t̪oː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈal.to/, [ˈäl̪t̪o]
Etymology 1
From altus (“high, deep”) + -ō.
Verb
altō (present infinitive altāre); first conjugation, no perfect or supine stem
- I make high, raise, elevate.
Conjugation
| Conjugation of altō (first conjugation, no supine stem, no perfect stem) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | altō | altās | altat | altāmus | altātis | altant |
| imperfect | altābam | altābās | altābat | altābāmus | altābātis | altābant | |
| future | altābō | altābis | altābit | altābimus | altābitis | altābunt | |
| passive | present | altor | altāris, altāre | altātur | altāmur | altāminī | altantur |
| imperfect | altābar | altābāris, altābāre | altābātur | altābāmur | altābāminī | altābantur | |
| future | altābor | altāberis, altābere | altābitur | altābimur | altābiminī | altābuntur | |
| subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | altem | altēs | altet | altēmus | altētis | altent |
| imperfect | altārem | altārēs | altāret | altārēmus | altārētis | altārent | |
| passive | present | alter | altēris, altēre | altētur | altēmur | altēminī | altentur |
| imperfect | altārer | altārēris, altārēre | altārētur | altārēmur | altārēminī | altārentur | |
| imperative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | — | altā | — | — | altāte | — |
| future | — | altātō | altātō | — | altātōte | altantō | |
| passive | present | — | altāre | — | — | altāminī | — |
| future | — | altātor | altātor | — | — | altantor | |
| non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
| present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
| infinitives | altāre | — | — | altārī | — | — | |
| participles | altāns | — | — | — | — | altandus | |
| verbal nouns | gerund | supine | |||||
| genitive | dative | accusative | ablative | accusative | ablative | ||
| altandī | altandō | altandum | altandō | — | — | ||
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Participle
altō
- dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of altus
References
- “alto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- alto in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- alto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- (ambiguous) the tide is coming in: aestus ex alto se incitat (B. G. 3.12)
- (ambiguous) the storm drives some one on an unknown coast: procella (tempestas) aliquem ex alto ad ignotas terras (oras) defert
- (ambiguous) to make fast boats to anchors: naves (classem) constituere (in alto)
- (ambiguous) the tide is coming in: aestus ex alto se incitat (B. G. 3.12)
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈaw.tu/ [ˈaʊ̯.tu]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈaw.to/ [ˈaʊ̯.to]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈal.tu/ [ˈaɫ.tu]
- (Rural Central Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈaw.tʷ/
- Homophone: auto (Brazil)
- Rhymes: (Portugal) -altu, (Brazil) -awtu
- Hyphenation: al‧to
Etymology 1
From Old Portuguese alto, from Latin altus, ultimately of Proto-Indo-European origin. This form is likely a semi-learned term, or was influenced by learned elements of the language and uses such an orthography, as with Galician and Spanish alto (which have popularly inherited variants outo and oto, respectively). There was once likely an *outo in Old Portuguese that is not attested[1], but which left an inherited descendant in Galician. See also outeiro, a related word.
Adjective
alto (feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas, comparable, comparative maisalto, superlative o maisalto or altíssimo, diminutive altinho, augmentative altão)
- loud
- tall
- high
- (informal) excessive, extreme
Derived terms
- altamente
- altão (augmentative)
- altinho (diminutive)
- altíssimo (superlative)
- altura
- enaltecer
Related terms
- alçar
- altitude
Adverb
alto (comparable, comparative maisalto, superlative o maisalto)
- loud; loudly
- 2003, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] (Harry Potter; 5), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 445:
- Não fale tão alto...
- Don't speak so loud...
-
Descendants
- Kabuverdianu: altu
Etymology 2
From the imperative of German halten.
Interjection
alto!
- halt!
See also
- alto lá!
References
- http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1981-57942016000300579&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalto/ [ˈal̪.t̪o]
- Rhymes: -alto
- Syllabification: al‧to
Etymology 1
From Latin altus, ultimately of Proto-Indo-European origin. The form alto represents a pronunciation influenced by the most learned layers of the language, and is not the normal phonetic result expected in a naturally inherited word. Cf. the now archaic form oto, which was used more often in Old Spanish and is the form of the word that was completely popularly inherited, preserved in some toponyms/placenames[1], and its derivative otear and the rare or regional otar[2]. Compare also archaic Galician outo (versus the standard alto today). See also the related Spanish otero (and Portuguese outeiro).
Adjective
alto (feminine alta, masculine plural altos, feminine plural altas, superlative altísimo)
- tall
- Antonym: bajo
- Esas chicas son altas. ― Those girls are tall.
- high
- Antonym: bajo
- Es un número alto. ― It's a high number.
- loud
- En voz alta. ― Out loud.
- alto y claro ― loud and clear
- upper, top
- senior (rank)
Derived terms
- Alta Austria
- Alta California
- alta danza
- alta fidelidad
- alta gama
- alta mar
- altamente
- alta montaña
- altas horas
- alta traición
- altear
- alteza
- altibajo
- altillo
- altísimo
- altivo
- alto alemán
- alto alemán medio
- altoandino
- altoaragonés
- alto cargo
- alto directivo
- alto ejecutivo
- alto el fuego
- alto funcionario
- Alto Garona
- alto horno
- Alto Loira
- alto mando
- Alto Rin
- altorrelieve
- Altos Alpes
- Alto Saona
- altura
- be alta
- clase alta
- comillas altas
- enaltecer
- en alto
- escuela alta
- marea alta
- Palo Alto
- pasar por alto
- temporada alta
- tierras altas
Related terms
- altitud
- alzar
Noun
alto m (plural altos)
- height (in measurements)
Adverb
alto
- up, high, highly
- loudly
- gritar alto
- scream loudly
Etymology 2
From German halt.
Noun
alto m (plural altos)
- stop, halt
- break, pause, rest
- (traffic) stop (signal)
- (traffic) red light
- Antonym: siga
Derived terms
- dar el alto
- hacer un alto
- marcar el alto
Interjection
¡alto!
- halt!; stop!
Further reading
- “alto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
References
- Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991) Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
- “otar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014