bass
/beɪs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.28 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A section of a musical group that produces low-pitched sound, lower than the baritone and tenor.
noun
An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a bass guitar, double bass, electric bass, or bass synthesiser.
noun
The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The giant spoke in a deep, bass, rumbling voice that shook me to my boots."
- "Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass."
- "The conductor preferred to situate the bass in the middle rear, rather than to one side of the orchestra."
- "Halfway through middle school, Edgar morphed from a soprano to a bass, much to the amazement and amusement of his fellow choristers."
- "The musician swung the bass over his head like an axe and smashed it into the amplifier, creating a discordant howl of noise."
- "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."
Etymology
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”).