double bass

[beys]

noun

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

double bass

/ 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

adjective

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

double bass

1. Another name for the bass viol.

Other Word Forms

• double bassist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of double bass¹

First recorded in 1720–30