theorbo

[ thee-awr-boh ]

/ θiˈɔr boʊ /

noun, plural the·or·bos.

an obsolete bass lute with two sets of strings attached to separate peg boxes, one above the other, on the neck.

Nearby words

Origin of theorbo

1595–1605; < Italian teorba, variant of tiorba, special use of Venetian tiorba, variant of tuorba traveling bag ≪ Turkish torba bag; so called from the bag it was carried in

Related formsthe·or·bist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for theorbo

It was a kind of theorbo or bass-lute, but with one neck only, bent back at right angles to form the head.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3|Various
I had a good dinner for them, as a venison pasty and some fowl, and after dinner we did play, he on the theorbo.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
And every night the player of the theorbo left the wall, approached him, and spoke in a clear voice mingled with soft breathing.
Thais|Anatole France
The chitarrone was formerly called Roman theorbo, because it was principally used at Rome.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume I (of 2)|Carl Engel

He recognised the player of the theorbo, who, partly relieved of his weight, raised her breast.
Thais|Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for theorbo

theorbo

/ (θɪˈɔːbəʊ) /

noun plural -bos

music an obsolete form of the lute, having two necks, one above the other, the second neck carrying a set of unstopped sympathetic bass strings

Derived Formstheorbist, noun

Word Origin for theorbo

C17: from Italian teorba, probably from Venetian, variant of tuorba travelling bag, ultimately from Turkish torba bag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012