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tenor

tenor

noun teh-NOHR Rare

Origin: Latin tenor (a holding course)

Also means

purport

Usage Note

Tenor has two distinct uses: the musical voice type (un tenor de ópera) and the formal sense of the overall tone or purport of a document — a tenor de la ley ('pursuant to the law / in accordance with the law'). The phrase a tenor de is a fixed legal and journalistic expression meaning 'in light of' or 'according to'.

Examples

"El tenor cantó el aria con gran emoción."

Natural Translation

The tenor sang the aria with great emotion.

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