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soprano

soprano

noun soh-PRAH-noh Rare

Origin: From Italian sopra, 'above', referring to the highest voice.

Usage Note

Soprano is grammatically masculine in Italian (il soprano), even when referring to a woman — la soprano is also used colloquially, but purists prefer il soprano. It denotes the highest classical singing voice. The plural is i soprani. Do not confuse the grammatical gender with the singer's biological sex.

Examples

"Il soprano ha ricevuto una standing ovation."

Natural Translation

The soprano received a standing ovation.

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