Dictionary
cas•tra•to
Pronunciation: (ka-strä'tō, ku-; It.kä-strä'tô), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -tiPronunciation: (-tē). [key]
a male singer, esp. in the 18th century, castrated before puberty to prevent his soprano or contralto voice range from changing.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.