castrato Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a male singer who was castrated before puberty and retains a soprano or alto voice

WordNet

Cas*tra"to noun
Etymology
L., properly p. p. of castrare. See Castrate.
Definitions
  1. A male person castrated for the purpose of improving his voice for singing; an artificial, or male, soprano. Swift.

Webster 1913