contrabassoon
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contrabassoon
First recorded in 1890–95; contra- 2 ( def. ) + bassoon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
John Goodman, left, and Christopher Lloyd as Lou, Mark’s contrabassoon teacher, in Season 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025
The track opens with a contrabassoon playing the lowest note in the orchestra and swooping upward.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
A shadowy mist of cymbal rises off long, sepulchral tones down in the basses and contrabassoon, before a keening fragment of bassoon pierces the quiet with melancholy song.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2021
The deep-sea contrabass clarinet and contrabassoon that Salonen love contribute a strange bottom to the orchestral sound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2018
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
