tenor
noun
[ ˈtɛnə ]
• a singing voice between baritone and alto or countertenor, the highest of the ordinary adult male range.
• "the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings"
• an instrument, especially a saxophone, trombone, tuba, or viol, of the second or third lowest pitch in its family.
• "a tenor sax"
Origin:
late Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin, based on tenere ‘to hold’; so named because the tenor part was allotted (and therefore ‘held’) the melody.
tenor
noun
• the general meaning, sense, or content of something.
• "the general tenor of the debate"
• the actual wording of a document.
• the time that must elapse before a bill of exchange or promissory note becomes due for payment.
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French tenour, from Latin tenor ‘course, substance, import of a law’, from tenere ‘to hold’.
