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

At the start of the twentieth century, only nine castrati remained in the Papal Chapel, and a 1903 decree by Pius X banned new recruits, not that many would have been forthcoming. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Guido is a castrati, a male singer who underwent castration before puberty to preserve his soprano singing voice. — Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 12 Nov. 2025

Unlike traditional castrati, Costanzo did not come to his high vocal register after having had his testicles crushed between stones. — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Handel composed this in 1750 for the virtuoso castrato Gaetano Guadagni. — Dallas News, 15 Dec. 2022

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

Rhymes for castrato

• erato
• vibrato
• yamato
• auto
• dato
• motto
• moderato
• pizzicato