bass

adjectivenounverbnounnouncommon in dialogue

//beɪs//
//bæs//

Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency.

adjective

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.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeh₂-? 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”).

noun

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

1
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

noun

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

Etymology

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

1
The fibrous inner bark of the linden or lime tree, used for making mats.
2
Fibers from other plants, especially palm trees
3
Anything made from such fibers, such as a hassock, basket or thick mat.
BASS, 1, a door mat
I set off half-heartedly, as best I could sheltering my spare clothes (which were in the straw fish-bass) under my coat. […] The rain made a channel from my trilby down my neck and one handle of the fish-bass gave way.

Etymology

A corruption of bast.

Forms

plural: basses
comparative: basser
superlative: bassest
past tense: bassed
past participle: bassed
present participle: bassing
third person singular: basses

basis · A physical base or foundation.basket · A lightweight woven container, generally round, open at the…basketball · A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to…

bass · Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency.

Bass · A surname.bastard · A mongrel (biological cross between different breeds, groups…Bastard · A surname from Old French.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.