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alto

tall; high

adjective AHL-toh Common

Origin: From Latin altus, 'high, deep.'

Also means

loud (of sound)

Usage Note

Alto means both 'tall' (of people: es muy alto) and 'high' (of positions, prices, temperatures: precios altos). For sound, en voz alta means 'aloud, out loud.' The feminine form is alta, and lo alto means 'the top' (of something). As a command, ¡Alto! means 'Halt!' or 'Stop!' — used by police and in military contexts.

Examples

"Mi hermano es muy alto."

Natural Translation

My brother is very tall.

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