castrato

noun

cas·tra·to ka-ˈsträ-(ˌ)tō

kə-

plural castrati ka-ˈsträ-tē

kə-

: a singer castrated before puberty to preserve the soprano or contralto range of his voice

Examples of castrato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Handel composed this in 1750 for the virtuoso castrato Gaetano Guadagni. —

Dallas News, 15 Dec. 2022 Handel composed in 1750 for a famous castrato alto. —

Dallas News, 23 Dec. 2022 The only surviving recordings of a castrato performing solo are from 1904 by Alessandro Moreschi. —

Jim Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 23 July 2015 Handel wanted the villain Polinesso to be a second castrato, but none was available, so a contralto created the part. —

Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for castrato

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'castrato.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, noun derivative from past participle of castrare "to remove the testes of a male," going back to Latin castrāre — more at castrate entry 1

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of castrato was in 1763

See more words from the same year