baritone

1 of 2

noun

bari·​tone ˈber-ə-ˌtōn 

ˈba-rə-

variants or less commonly barytone

1

: a male singing voice of medium compass between bass and tenor

also : a person having this voice

2

: a member of a family of instruments having a range between tenor and bass

especially : the baritone saxhorn or baritone saxophone

baritonal

ˌber-ə-ˈtō-nᵊl 

ˌba-rə-

adjective

baritone

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly barytone

: relating to or having the range or part of a baritone

Examples of baritone in a Sentence

Noun

He sang in his school choir as a baritone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And Musetta’s lover, the painter Marcello, will be played by baritones Søren Pedersen and Michael Segura. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024

Soprano Amy Foote sings the title role, alongside baritone Spencer Dodd as the Forester, in a production directed by Nicolas A. Garcia and choreographed by Lissa Resnick, with music director Jonathan Khuner leading the small orchestra. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French baryton or Italian baritono, from Greek barytonos deep sounding, from barys heavy + tonos tone — more at grieve

First Known Use

Noun

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1729, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

baritone

noun

bar·​i·​tone

ˈbar-ə-ˌtōn

1

a

: a male singing voice between bass and tenor

b

: a singer having such a voice

2

: a horn with a range between that of the trumpet and the tuba