double bass

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

1. the largest instrument of the violin family, having three or, usually, four strings, rested vertically on the floor when played.

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double bass British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. Informal name: bass fiddle.  Also called (US): bass viol.  a stringed instrument, the largest and lowest member of the violin family. Range: almost three octaves upwards from E in the space between the fourth and fifth leger lines below the bass staff. It is normally bowed in classical music, but it is very common in a jazz or dance band, where it is practically always played pizzicato

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adjective

1. of or relating to an instrument whose pitch lies below that regarded as the bass; contrabass

double bass Cultural  

1. Another name for the bass viol.

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Other Word Forms

• double bassist noun

Etymology

Origin of double bass

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

The child of movie stars, she shunned the limelight, picking an instrument — the double bass — that blends within the ensemble.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025

Closely related to the European double bass, the tololoche is smaller in size.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024

The new material introduced a more mature, rootsy sound for 26-year-old, whose nimble acoustic guitar playing was supplemented by double bass, mandolin and violin.

From BBC • Aug. 14, 2024

Bernstein, who played the double bass in jazz bands and worked as a social worker in New York City, has long been a voice for progressive economic policy.

From Reuters • Feb. 14, 2023

The conductor lifts his baton, and I'm invigorated hearing the familiar passages: the drone of the double bass as the heartrending introduction begins, the strings peeling away layers like birch bark.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper