tenor

1. ten- "hold" + -or. => originally "a holding on".
2. => contents, course; general meaning, purpose.
3. => The musical sense is "high male voice", because the sustained melody (canto fermo) was carried by the tenor's part.
4. 谐音“太闹儿”。

tenor 男高音，男高音歌手

ten-,持有，保持，维持，-or,人。用于指保持某一音域的人，引申词义男高音，男高音歌手。

tenor

tenor: [13] Latin tenor was derived from the verb tenēre ‘hold’ (source also of English tenacious, tenant, etc), and so etymologically denoted ‘that which is held to’, hence a ‘continuous course’. This evolved in due course into the ‘general sense or import’ of a piece of speech or writing, in which sense English acquired it via Anglo- Norman tenur. The musical term tenor, which is basically the same word, arrived in the 14th century via Italian tenore and Old French tenor. It denotes etymologically the voice that ‘holds’ the melodic line.
=> tenant

tenor (n.)

c. 1300, "general meaning, prevailing course, purpose, drift," from Old French tenor "substance, contents, meaning, sense; tenor part in music" (13c. Modern French teneur), from Latin tenorem (nominative tenor) "a course," originally "continuance, uninterrupted course, a holding on," from tenere "to hold" (see tenet). The musical sense of "high male voice" is attested from late 14c. in English, so-called because the sustained melody (canto fermo) was carried by the tenor's part. Meaning "singer with a tenor voice" is from late 15c. As an adjective in this sense from 1520s.

1. Her dreams were troubled, reflecting the tenor of her waking hours.

她在梦中焦虑不安，反映了她白天生活的基调。

2. This small part was taken with elan by a promising young tenor.

这一小段由一位大有前途的青年男高音倾情演绎。

3. The whole tenor of discussions has changed.

讨论的整个主旨变了。

4. I was encouraged by the general tenor of his remarks.

他话中的要点使我深受鼓舞。

5. The whole tenor of the meeting was very positive.

会议的整体氛围很积极.