# castrato

> English word · Noun · IPA /kæsˈtɹɑː.təʊ/

## Definitions
1. A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.
2. A male soprano or alto voice produced by castration of the treble singer before puberty, intended to conserve his voice; the singer.

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/castrato