bass clef

[ beys ]

/ beɪs /

Save This Word!

noun Music.

a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F next below middle C; F clef.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bass clef

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby bass clef

bass, bassackwards, Bassano, bassarisk, bass-bar, bass clef, bass drum, Bassein, Basse-Normandie, Bassenthwaite, Basses-Alpes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bass clef in a sentence

He captures Ramone and his second wife, Barbara, together in the studio in one photo, him on bass, her on guitar.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I watch football, basketball, and hockey on TV and sometimes “The Bass Pros” on Outdoor Channel.
Up to a Point: They Made Me Write About Lena Dunham|P. J. O’Rourke|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Very bass-y house, if I was in my element and playing what I like to play.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle|Marlow Stern|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The drumbeat and synth bass are as insistent as they are ominous.
Is Bigger Better for St. Vincent?|David Yaffe|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was one night, with Tony Williams on drums and, I think, Richard Davis on bass.
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth|David Yaffe|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tony's stool was nearer to the bass keys of the piano, while the sofa Lettice lay upon had certainly been drawn up towards him.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The melody or tune is played on one of the pipes furnished with holes for the purpose, while the other three give a drone, bass.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
The chief reason is that g is the top note of the string bass, and is called for in orchestral transcriptions.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
Mr. Betts, of London, had one for which he refused the enormous sum of £500, and Dragonetti also refused £800 for a double bass.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
According to his plan a "Suitable Bass" tablet is provided just above the rear end of the black keys on each manual.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for bass clef

bass clef

/ (beɪs) /

noun

the clef that establishes F a fifth below middle C on the fourth line of the staffSymbol: Also called: F clef

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012