bass viol

[beys]

noun

viola da gamba.

double bass.

Origin of bass viol

First recorded in 1580–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bass viol

Historical Examples of bass viol

The cornet and bass-viol had put in an appearance, but the pianist had been lost in the shuffle.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Then Roxy took her place, and Heman bent over his bass-viol.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
That bass-viol slipped a little for'ard when we come down Lamson's Hill.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
The bass-viol had its mortal wound; he could have laid both fists into the hole.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
There was a clearing of throats; then Mr. Fiddleman gave the key on the bass-viol.
Winning His Way
Charles Carleton Coffin

British Dictionary definitions for bass viol

bass viol

noun

another name for viola da gamba

US a less common name for double bass (def. 1)

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

bass viol in Culture

bass viol

[(veye-uhl)]

The largest and lowest-pitched instrument of the strings, also called a bass fiddle or double bass. The player must stand or sit on a tall stool to play it.