Soprano
/səˈprɑːnoʊ/noun
The highest adult female singing voice or a singer with that voice.
Did you know?In Renaissance and Baroque music, boys and castrati sometimes performed soprano parts, producing the era’s famously otherworldly high voices.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*uper
“Over, above, or beyond”
Classical Latin
Latin
super
“Above, over, or higher than”
Classical Latin
Latin
supra
“Above or beyond”
13th–14th Century
Italian
sopra
“Above or higher”
16th Century
Italian
soprano
“The highest vocal part, literally the one above”
Modern English
English
soprano
“The highest adult vocal range or its singer”