noun / adjective / adverb
falsetto
fal-SET-oh/fɔːlˈsetəʊ/
A vocal register higher than the voice's usual range.
The singer shifted into falsetto for the high phrase.
Etymology
Italian falso, “false,” takes a diminutive ending in this name for an artificially high singing voice. The “false” element points to the voice’s artificial quality.
In context
someone could be heard within dancing frantically, marking time with his heels to the sounds of the guitar and of a thin falsetto voice singing a jaunty air.
More examples
- He sang the refrain in a light falsetto.
- A falsetto voice floated above the accompaniment.
- The coach helped him control his falsetto.
Forms
falsetto · falsettos
Similar words
- head voice
- Head voice describes another high-register vocal production; falsetto usually has a lighter, thinner quality.
- register
- Register is the broader category of voice production; falsetto is a particular register.