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soprano

suh-PRAH-noh · noun

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Origin

Borrowed from Italian soprano, which traces back to Vulgar Latin *superānus, an adjective built on the Latin preposition super, meaning "above."

Journey

The facts given don't trace a shift in meaning beyond its borrowing into English as a musical term for the highest vocal range.

Related words

It's a doublet of sovereign, which reached English through Old French but ultimately comes from the same Latin root meaning "above."

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From Italian

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