bass

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

• (noun): base (dated)

• enPR: bās, IPA^(key): /beɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪs
• Homophone: base

bass (comparative basser, superlative bassest)

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.

bass (plural basses)

1. A low spectrum of sound tones.

   Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass.

2. (music) 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. (music) 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. (music) An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a double bass, bass guitar, 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. (music notation) The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C; a bass clef.

   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.

• (singer): basso
• (clef): F clef

• (voice types): soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto (female); countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass (male)
• (music) SATB (initialism of soprano, alto, tenor, bass)

bass (third-person singular simple present basses, present participle bassing, simple past and past participle bassed)

1. To sound in a deep tone.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], lines 99-99:

     […] and the Thunder
     (That deepe and dreadfull Organ-Pipe) pronounc'd
     The name of Proſper : it did baſe my Treſpaſſe

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.

• basse (archaic)

• enPR: băs, IPA^(key): /bæs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æs
• Homophone: Bass

bass (countable and uncountable, plural basses or bass)

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

A corruption of bast.

• enPR: băs, IPA^(key): /bæs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æs

bass (countable and uncountable, plural basses)

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.
   • [1865, William Stott Banks, A List of Provincial Words in use at Wakefield in Yorkshire, Wakefield: J.R.Smith, page 6:

     BASS, 1, a door mat]

   • 1982 [1980], J L Carr, A Month in the Country, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books/Harvester Press, →ISBN, page 2:

     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.

• basswood

• bass on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• BSAs, SABS, sabs

bass n (plural bèssar, diminutive bèssle)

1. (Mezzaselva) alternative form of vass

From Middle High German baz, from Old High German baz, from Proto-Germanic *batiz (“better”, adverb), comparative of *wela (“well”), whence German wohl. Represents the old adverb form of besser, whose adverbial use developed in Middle High German. Attributive use of bass, in turn, is much more recent and has remained rare.

• IPA^(key): /bas/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Homophone: Bass

bass

1. (dated higher register, sometimes humorous) greatly, totally, immensely; used with erstaunt (“astonished”) or, less often, other words expressing a sudden reaction/emotion

   Ich war bass erstaunt. ― I was totally astonished.

   Das hat mich bass überrascht. ― That greatly surprised me.

2. (obsolete) better, more properly, readily

bass (strong nominative masculine singular basser, not comparable)

1. (by extension, rare) great, total, immense; with nouns expressing astonishment etc. (as above)

   basses Erstaunen ― stark astonishment

• “bass” in Duden online
• “bass” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

bass

1. milk

• Goldberg, Justin; Asadik, Habte; Bekama, Jiregna; Mengistu, Mulat (2016), Gwama – English Dictionary‎^[1], SIL International

From Italian basso.

bass m (1st declension)

1. bass

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *basás, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós. Cognate with Lithuanian basas, Russian босо́й (bosój), English bare.

bass (definite basais, comparative basāks, superlative visbasākais, adverb basi)

1. bare, unshod (of feet: without shoes, socks or other coverings)

   staigāt basām kājām ― to walk barefoot, to walk with bare feet

• kails

Akin to Italian basso, from Late Latin bassus.

bass

1. low

bass

1. second-person singular present indicative of sinn

• IPA^(key): /bas/

• Audio (Gozo):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -as

Inherited from dialectal Arabic; compare Tunisian Arabic بص (baṣṣ, “to fart”).

bass (imperfect jboss, verbal noun bass)

1. to fart loudly
2. to boo (someone)

bass m (collective, singulative bassa, plural bases, paucal bassiet)

1. farting

Borrowed from English bus.

bass m (plural bassis)

1. bus

bass

1. (obsolete) alternative form of biss

From Old Irish bas, bos (“palm”),^[1] from Proto-Celtic *bostā (“palm, fist”) (compare Breton boz (“hollow of the hand”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷosto-, *gʷosdʰo- (“branch”).

• IPA^(key): /bas/^[2]

bass f (genitive singular bassey, plural bassyn)

1. palm of hand

bass

1. alternative form of bas

From Latin bassus, via Italian basso.

bass m (definite singular bassen, indefinite plural basser, definite plural bassene)

1. (music) bass (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the base range)
2. (music) short for bassgitar (bass guitar) or kontrabass (double bass)

• kontrabass
• snurrebass

• “bass” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Latin bassus, via Italian basso.

bass m (definite singular bassen, indefinite plural bassar, definite plural bassane)

1. (music) bass (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the base range)
2. (music) short for bassgitar (bass guitar) or kontrabass (double bass)

• kontrabass
• snurrebass

• “bass” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• bas (Vallader)

From Late Latin bassus.

bass m (f bassa, m pl bass, f pl bassas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) deep, low