theorbo

American  

[thee-awr-boh] / θiˈɔr boʊ /

noun

plural

theorbos

1. 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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theorbo British  

/ θɪˈɔːbəʊ /

noun

1. 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

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Other Word Forms

• theorbist
  noun

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

A pair of harps, placed antiphonally in boxes at opposite sides of the stage, plus a theorbo, offer an otherworldly descant, as do the sounds of the celesta and chimes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

This will not be Monteverdi as we have heard him; there will be nary a period instrument in sight, neither a harpsichord nor a sackbut, a theorbo nor a cornett.

From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2023

A harpsichord, a theorbo and a viola da gamba sound alongside an upright piano and an electric organ.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2023

What is unusual is love at first sight — or sound — when that instrument is the theorbo.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2017

Let us sing and be merry, dance, joke and rejoice, With claret and sherry, theorbo and voice!

From Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer A Romance of the Spanish Main by Crawford, Will