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hel·den·te·nor also Hel·den·te·nor

(hĕldən-tə-nôr′)

1. A tenor voice with a striking dramatic or brilliant quality that is well suited for heroic roles, such as those in Wagnerian opera.

2. A person with such a voice.

[German : Held, hero (from Middle High German helt, from Old High German helid) + Tenor, tenor (from Italian tenore; see TENOR).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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