baritone

1 of 2

noun

bari·​tone ˈber-ə-ˌtōn How to pronounce baritone (audio)
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 How to pronounce baritone (audio)
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
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Noun
His baritone was the perfect pairing for the spooky yet absolutely enchanting creation. —Andrés Buenahora, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024 Joo Won Kang perfectly embodies Rocco, Marcellina’s prison guard father, roughing up his enveloping baritone with cranky gruffness whenever it was called for. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Instead, to Lacy's chagrin, Paul Robeson, a former athlete turned bass-baritone singer and actor who also was famous for visiting the Soviet Union, was there at the commissioner's invitation. —Cesar Brioso, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2023 Chris Young became his gold standard, thanks to his sturdy songcraft and similar baritone range. —Hank Shteamer, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2022 See all Example Sentences for baritone 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin baritonus, borrowed from Middle Greek barýtonos "deep (of musical notes)," going back to Greek, "deep-sounding, (in grammar) not accented on the last syllable," from barýs "heavy, weighty, deep in pitch or tone" + -tonos, adjective derivative of tónos "stretching, exertion, pitch of the voice, accent of a syllable" — more at grave entry 2, tone entry 1

Note: The earliest use of the word in English is apparently in John Dowland's 1609 translation of the Musicae activae micrologus by the German music theorist Andreas Ornithoparchus, first printed in Leipzig in 1517. Earlier than baritonus is a nominalized participle baritonans, attested in the Practica musice of Franchino Gafurio, printed in Milan in 1496. Italian baritono, from which later uses in English may derive, is not attested before the seventeenth century.

Adjective

from attributive use of baritone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1729, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baritone was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near baritone

baritenor

baritone

baritone clef

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Baritone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baritone. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on baritone

Nglish: Translation of baritone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about baritone

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