Meanings
nounaltissimo (plural altissimos)
plural altissimos
- entertainmentThe highest register of a woodwind instrument, or a specific note in this register
He could fold the full pitch range of the horn into a short solo, from altissimo to the lowest notes, and connect rarefied ideas to the rich, soulful phrasing of saxophonists like Junior Walker.
2007 January 14, Ben Ratliff, “Michael Brecker Dies at 57; Prolific Jazz Saxophonist”, in New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivevery high
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Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Italianalto
- Italianaltissimo
- Englishaltissimo
Borrowed from Italian altissimo.
More words from Italian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
altissimo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altissimo
MLA
“altissimo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altissimo. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “altissimo,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altissimo.
Source: altissimo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.