castrato

cas·tra·to
C3A1S1T1R1A1T1O1
/kæsˈtɹɑː.təʊ/

noun

A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.

OriginItalian castrato ← Latin castrō →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nouncastrato (plural castratos or castrati)

plural castratos · plural castrati

  1. A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.

    A castrato stepped forward, a slender / young man with earnest grey eyes.

    2001, Bernardine Evaristo, The Emperor's Babe, Penguin Essentials (2020), page 170
  2. entertainmentA male soprano or alto voice produced by castration of the treble singer before puberty, intended to conserve his voice; the singer.

    As contexts shift, so does generational taste. Just ask the castrati – the high-voiced boy singers displaced when Enlightenment liberalism restored female performers to the stage.

    2025 November 20, Van Badham, “Xania Monet’s music is the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully her AI ‘clankers’ will be limited to this cultural moment”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
adjectivecastrato (not comparable)
  1. literallynot comparableCastrated; especially castrated prepubescently.
  2. not comparableHaving, using or containing the voice of a castrato (noun).
  3. not comparableOriginally composed for a castrato.

    Nowadays, either women or countertenors take the castrato roles.

Origin

  1. Latincastrō“to castrate”
  2. Italiancastrato
  3. Englishcastrato

From Italian castrato, from Latin castrō (“to castrate”), likely from caedō (“to cut”).

More words from Italian, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian евнух, кастрат
  • евнух (evnuh)male who has been castrated
  • кастрат (kastrat)male who has been castrated
  • кастрат (kastrat)male soprano or alto voice; the singer
  • кастриран (kastriran)adjective: castrated
Chinese Mandarin 閹伶 /阉伶
  • 閹伶 /阉伶 (yānlíng)male soprano or alto voice; the singer
Dutch castraat, gecastreerde
  • castraatmale who has been castrated
  • gecastreerdemale who has been castrated
  • castraatmale soprano or alto voice; the singer
  • castratomale soprano or alto voice; the singer
  • castraatzangermale soprano or alto voice; the singer
  • gecastreerdadjective: castrated
  • castraat-having, using or containing the voice of a castrato
  • castrato-having, using or containing the voice of a castrato
French castrat
  • castratmale soprano or alto voice; the singer
German Kastrat, Kastrat
  • Kastratmale who has been castrated
  • Kastratmale soprano or alto voice; the singer
Greek εκτομίας, καστράτος
  • εκτομίας (ektomías)male who has been castrated
  • καστράτος (kastrátos)male soprano or alto voice; the singer
Italian castrato
  • castratomale soprano or alto voice; the singer
Japanese カストラート, カストラート
  • カストラート (kasutorāto)male who has been castrated
  • カストラート (kasutorāto)male soprano or alto voice; the singer
Polish eunuch, kastrat
  • eunuchmale who has been castrated
  • kastratmale who has been castrated
  • rzezaniecmale who has been castrated
  • trzebieniecmale who has been castrated
  • kastratmale soprano or alto voice; the singer
Spanish castrado, castrado
  • castradomale who has been castrated
  • castradomale soprano or alto voice; the singer
Swedish kastrat, kastratsångare
  • kastratmale who has been castrated
  • kastratsångaremale soprano or alto voice; the singer
  • kastratmale soprano or alto voice; the singer
Turkish kastrato
  • kastratomale soprano or alto voice; the singer

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

crostata
Cite this entry
APA

castrato. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/castrato

MLA

“castrato.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/castrato. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “castrato,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/castrato.

Source: castrato on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.