ground bass
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ground bass
First recorded in 1690–1700
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.
Yet Johnson’s overall sprightliness covers a ground bass of melancholy and lament.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2020
The Baroque chaconne used a recurring element, often a ground bass, as a hook for variations.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2013
But the raucous swallows, the woman’s droning commands, the ground bass of the machinery mesmerized her.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
And this voice was accompanied by a deep and monotonous murmur, and by the ground bass of the daraboukkeh.
From Bella Donna A Novel by Robert Smythe Hichens
At seven the shrill "tweedledee" of this youngster had begun, accompanied by a booming ground bass from Elijah New, the parish clerk, who had thoughtfully brought with him his favourite musical instrument, the serpent.
From Stories by English Authors: England by Thomas Hardy
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.
