bass viol

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

1. viola da gamba.

2. double bass.

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bass viol British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. another name for viola da gamba

2. a less common name for double bass

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bass viol Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of bass viol

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

In Domenichino’s version, at the Louvre, she is playing “a cantata to the Glory of Saint Cecilia” on the bass viol, which seems like kind of a lot.

From Slate • May 28, 2020

Most of the pieces sung by Davies were arranged for viol consort by Richard Boothby, co-founder of Fretwork and one of its bass viol players.

From Washington Post • Oct. 17, 2019

There is a white pitcher on the table, a sky-blue chair with gleaming brass tack heads, and finally the voluptuous mass of a bass viol lying on the floor.

From Time Magazine Archive

His voice is superb, of course, as mellow and true as a bass viol; at 60, he sounds just as good as he did 20 or 30 years ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

He wanted to live in a city and teach school, play his bass viol, and belong to musical or singing clubs.

From The Child's Book of American Biography by Stimpson, Mary Stoyell