contrabass

American  

[kon-truh-beys] / ˈkɒn trəˌbeɪs /

noun

1. (in any family of instruments) the member below the bass.

2. (in the violin family) the double bass.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of such instruments.

   a contrabass trombone.

contrabass British  

/ ˌkɒntrəˈbeɪsɪst, ˌkɒntrəˈbeɪs, -ˈbæs- /

noun

1. a member of any of various families of musical instruments that is lower in pitch than the bass

2. another name for double bass

---

adjective

1. of or denoting the instrument of a family that is lower than the bass

Other Word Forms

• contrabassist noun

Etymology

Origin of contrabass

From Italian, dating back to 1590–1600; contrabasso

Example Sentences

Musician Carmelo Leotta played an improvisational piece on a contrabass at the Gleis 17 memorial in Berlin.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2023

Rozenfeld, whose bald-shaved head was covered with a flat cap, moved to the rhythm while playing the contrabass.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2022

Chase stood with her towering contrabass flute against the backdrop of a projected film landscape, by Ailbhe Ni Bhriain, of an Irish bog — a site, Cleare says, of rich industrial and geological history.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2021

I’m going to program my left hand as the accompanying strings, plus brass, tuba, and contrabass.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2020

Contra — Means lower: for example a contrabassoon sounds lower than a regular bassoon43 , and a contrabass clarinet is even lower than a bass clarinet.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones