English

Noun

coloratura ‎(plural coloratura or coloraturas)

1. (uncountable) Florid or fancy passages in vocal music.
   • 2004, The Video Librarian, volume 19, page 71

     The singing is generally excellent, with Simon Keenlyside standing out for his richly vocalized (and amusingly dour) Papageno and Diana Damrau for her spot-on coloratura and genuine venom as the Queen of the Night.

2. (countable) a singer of such passages, especially a soprano
   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers

     The middle one, of course, was the coloratura Julia Kristeva, known as the most voluptuous Salome in the business.

Adjective

coloratura ‎(comparative more coloratura, superlative most coloratura)

1. Pertaining to coloratura.

   She has a lighter and more coloratura voice.

   This role has the most coloratura singing in the opera.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “chapter XII”, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, OCLC 1227855:

     I drew a deep breath, this time fortunately unmixed with gin and tonic. I was profoundly stirred. “You mean,” I said, my voice quavering like that of a coloratura soprano, “that I went through that soul-shattering experience all for nothing?”

Italian

Etymology

colorare +‎ -tura

Noun

coloratura f ‎(plural colorature)

1. colouration, colouring
2. (music) Virtuosic ornamentation of a melody

Latin

Participle

colōrātūra

1. nominative feminine singular of colōrātūrus
2. nominative neuter plural of colōrātūrus
3. accusative neuter plural of colōrātūrus
4. vocative feminine singular of colōrātūrus
5. vocative neuter plural of colōrātūrus

colōrātūrā

1. ablative feminine singular of colōrātūrus

Spanish

Noun

coloratura f ‎(plural coloraturas)

1. (music) coloratura