theorbo

[ thee-awr-boh ]

/ θiˈɔr boʊ /

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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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM theorbo

the·or·bist, noun

Words nearby theorbo

theophobia, Theophrastus, theophylline, theophylline ethylenediamine, theor., theorbo, order of the day, the, Theorell, theorem, theoretic, theoretical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use theorbo in a sentence

At noon played on my Theorbo, and much pleased therewith; it is now altered with a new neck.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
She was aught drawing, singing, and to play on the theorbo; had learning, and wrote very agreeable verses.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete|Jean Jacques Rousseau
Some gust from brave Elizabethan times must have warmed his spirit, as he sat tuning his sublime theorbo.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson
The largest member of the ancient lute family—the bass lute or theorbo—has been identified with the barbiton.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2|Various

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

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 forms of theorbo

theorbist, 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