bassoon

[ ba-soon, buh- ]

/ bæˈsun, bə- /

noun

a large woodwind instrument of low range, with a doubled tube and a curved metal crook to which a double reed is attached.

Nearby words

basso cantante, basso continuo, basso profundo, basso rilievo, basso-relievo, bassoon, bassoonist, basswood, bast, bast fiber, basta

Origin of bassoon

1720–30; < French basson < Italian bassone (bass(o) low (see base²) + -one augmentative suffix)

Related forms

bas·soon·ist, noun

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

Examples from the Web for bassoon

With a cry of joy she met her father in the hallway, snatched the bassoon to her heart, and covered him with kisses.
The Holy Cross and Other Tales|Eugene Field
He introduced the viola, clarinet, and bassoon into the orchestra of the Italian opera.
Great Italian and French Composers|George T. Ferris
There is a very telling quality in the upper notes of the bassoon of which composers have made use.
Scientific American Supplement No. 819|Various
At one of the rehearsals the third bassoon player was absent and Beethoven was enraged.
Beethoven|George Alexander Fischer

From this it would seem that our bassoon was not of German origin.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bassoon

bassoon

/ (bəˈsuːn) /

noun

a woodwind instrument, the tenor of the oboe family. Range: about three and a half octaves upwards from the B flat below the bass staff

an orchestral musician who plays the bassoon

Derived Forms

bassoonist, noun

Word Origin for bassoon

C18: from French basson, from Italian bassone, from basso deep; see base ²

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

Culture definitions for bassoon

bassoon

The second largest and second lowest pitched of the woodwinds. (The less common contrabassoon is larger and has a lower pitch.) It is played with a double reed.