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Bass

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bass¹

  • /beɪs/

Sounds like base · Rhymes with -eɪs

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis

Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis

Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor.

Latin basis

Old French basebor.

Middle English base

English base

▲

Italian bassoinflu.

English bass

A respelling of base under the influence of Italian basso (“low”).

adjective basser · bassest · base

  1. Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency. The giant spoke in a deep, bass, rumbling voice that shook me to my boots.

noun basses · base

  1. A low spectrum of sound tones. Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass.
  2. A section of a musical group that produces low-pitched sound, lower than the baritone and tenor. The conductor preferred to situate the bass in the middle rear, rather than to one side of the orchestra.
  3. One who sings in the bass range. Halfway through middle school, Edgar morphed from a soprano to a bass, much to the amazement and amusement of his fellow choristers.
  4. An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a bass guitar, double bass, electric bass, or bass synthesiser. The musician swung the bass over his head like an axe and smashed it into the amplifier, creating a discordant howl of noise.
  5. The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C. The score had been written without the treble and bass, but it was easy to pick out which was which based on the location of the notes on the staff.

verb basses · bassing · bassed · base

  1. transitive To sound in a deep tone. […] and the Thunder / (That deepe and dreadfull Organ-Pipe) pronounc'd / The name of Proſper : it did baſe my Treſpaſſe

bass²

  • /bæs/

Sounds like Bass · Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

From Middle English bace, bas, alteration of bars, from Old English bærs (“a fish, perch”), from Proto-West Germanic *bars, from Proto-Germanic *barsaz (“perch”, literally “prickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰórsos (“prickle, thorn, scale”). Cognate with Dutch baars (“perch, bass”), German Barsch (“perch”). More at barse.

noun basses · bass · basse

  1. countable, uncountable The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.

bass³

  • /bæs/

Sounds like Bass · Rhymes with -æs

Where it comes from

A corruption of bast.

noun basses

  1. countable, uncountable The fibrous inner bark of the linden or lime tree, used for making mats.
  2. countable, uncountable Fibers from other plants, especially palm trees
  3. countable, uncountable Anything made from such fibers, such as a hassock, basket or thick mat. BASS, 1, a door mat

Bass⁴

  • /bæs/

Sounds like bass · Rhymes with -æs

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. A rural town in Bass Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia, named after George Bass.
  3. An unincorporated community in Jackson County, Alabama.
  4. An unincorporated community in Newton County, Arkansas.
  5. An unincorporated community in Casey County, Kentucky.
  6. An unincorporated community in Cole County, Missouri.
  7. An unincorporated community in Hardy County, West Virginia, named for the presence of bass (fish) in the local creek.

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