baritone

1 of 2

noun

bari·tone ˈber-ə-ˌtōn

ˈba-rə-

variants or less commonly barytone

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

also : a person having this voice

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Baritone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baritone. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

baritone

noun

bar·i·tone

ˈbar-ə-ˌtōn

: a male singing voice between bass and tenor

: a singer having such a voice

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

Last Updated: 15 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

paroxysm

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

baritone

noun

adjective

Examples of baritone in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near baritone

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition