bass

See also: Bass and Baß

English

Etymology 1

A respelling of base under the influence of Italian basso (“low”).

Alternative forms

• (noun): base (dated)

Pronunciation

• enPR: bās, IPA^(key): /beɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪs
• Homophone: base

Adjective

bass (comparative basser, superlative bassest)

1. Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency.

   The giant spoke in a deep, bass, rumbling voice that shook me to my boots.

Translations

low in pitch

• Bulgarian: басов (basov)
• Catalan: baix (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: basa (eo)
• Finnish: matala (fi), ala- (fi)
• French: bas (fr), grave (fr)
• Galician: baixo (gl), grave (gl)
• German: bass (de)
• Greek: μπάσος (el) m (básos), ήχος χαμηλής κλίμακας m (íchos chamilís klímakas)
• Hawaiian: leo uō
• Hungarian: basszus (hu)
• Italian: basso (it)
• Japanese: ベース (ja) (bēsu), バス (ja) (basu)
• Khiamniungan Naga: tūmtûm
• Latin: bassus
• Maori: nguru
• Polish: basowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: grave (pt), baixo (pt)
• Russian: ба́совый (ru) (básovyj)
• Spanish: bajo (es)
• Swedish: bas (sv)
• Tagalog: malagong
• Turkish: bas (tr)
• Urdu: ڈھولک (ḍhōlak)
• Welsh: bas (cy)

Noun

bass (plural basses)

body of a bass guitar [4]

1. A low spectrum of sound tones.

   Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass.

2. A section of a musical group that produces low-pitched sound, lower than the baritone and tenor.

   The conductor preferred to situate the bass in the middle rear, rather than to one side of the orchestra.

3. One who sings in the bass range.

   Halfway through middle school, Edgar morphed from a soprano to a bass, much to the amazement and amusement of his fellow choristers.

4. (music) An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a double bass, bass guitar, electric bass or bass synthesiser.

   The musician swung the bass over his head like an axe and smashed it into the amplifier, creating a discordant howl of noise.

5. The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C; a bass clef.

   The score had been written without the treble and bass, but it was easy to pick out which was which based on the location of the notes on the staff.

Synonyms

• (singer): basso
• (clef): F clef

Coordinate terms

• (voice types): soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto (female); countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass (male)
• (music) SATB (Initialism of soprano, alto, tenor, bass.)

Derived terms

• acoustic bass
• acoustic bass guitar
• bass-bar
• bass bar
• bass-baritone
• bass bin
• bass boat
• bass bomb
• bass C
• bass clarinet
• bass clef
• bass cliff
• bass drop
• bass drum
• bass drummer
• bass fiddle
• bass fiddler
• bass guitar
• bass guitarist
• bass horn
• bassist
• bassless
• basslike
• bassline
• bassly
• bassman
• bass music
• bassness
• bass note
• bass recorder
• bass reflex
• bass-relief
• bass sax
• bass saxophone
• bass saxophonist
• bass staff
• bass trap
• bass trombone
• bass viol
• bass violin
• bass violinist
• bass violist
• bass-violist
• basswork
• bassy
• booty bass
• concert bass drum
• doghouse bass
• double-bass
• double bass
• drill and bass
• drill 'n' bass
• drum and bass
• drum 'n' bass
• electric bass
• figured bass
• great bass
• great bass recorder
• ground bass
• hyperbass flute
• keyboard bass
• Miami bass
• midbass
• midtempo bass
• murky bass
• octobass
• play someone like a bass fiddle
• slap bass
• stand-up bass
• stride bass
• string bass
• sub-bass
• synthbass
• synth bass
• tea chest bass
• upright bass
• walking bass
• washtub bass
• wobble bass

 

Translations

low spectrum of sound

• Bulgarian: бас (bg) (bas)
• Catalan: baix (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 低音 (zh) (dīyīn)

• Crimean Tatar: bas
• Dutch: bas (nl) m
• Esperanto: baso (eo)
• Finnish: basso (fi)
• French: basse (fr) f
• German: Bass (de) m, Baß (de) m (obsolete spelling)
• Greek: μπάσος (el) m (básos), μπάσα (el) f (bása), μπάσο (el) n (báso)
• Hungarian: basszus (hu)
• Japanese: ベース (ja) (bēsu)
• Maori: reo nguru, reo panguru
• Polish: bas (pl) m
• Portuguese: baixo (pt) m
• Russian: бас (ru) m (bas)
• Scottish Gaelic: beus m, crònan m
• Slovene: bas (sl) m
• Spanish: bajo (es) m
• Swedish: bas (sv) c
• Ukrainian: бас (uk) m (bas)
• Welsh: bas (cy) m
• Yiddish: באַס m (bas)

section of musical group

• Bulgarian: бас (bg) (bas)
• Crimean Tatar: bas
• Dutch: bas (nl) m
• Finnish: basso (fi)
• German: Bass (de) m, Baß (de) m (obsolete spelling)
• Greek: μπάσο (el) n (báso)
• Hungarian: basszus (hu)
• Korean: 베이스 (beiseu)
• Persian: باس (fa) (bâs)
• Polish: bas (pl) m
• Portuguese: baixo (pt) m
• Russian: бас (ru) m (bas)
• Slovene: bas (sl) m
• Tagalog: lagong
• Welsh: bas (cy) m

singer

• Bulgarian: бас (bg) (bas)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 男低音 (zh) (nándīyīn), 低音 (zh) (dīyīn)

• Crimean Tatar: bas
• Dutch: bas (nl) m
• Finnish: basso (fi)
• French: basse (fr) f
• Georgian: ბანი (bani)
• German: Bass (de) m, Baß (de) m (obsolete spelling)
• Greek: βαρύτονος (el) m (varýtonos)
• Hungarian: basszus (hu)
• Italian: basso (it) m
• Japanese: バス (ja) (basu)
• Maori: reo panguru
• Polish: bas (pl) m
• Portuguese: baixo (pt) m
• Russian: бас (ru) m (bas)
• Slovene: bas (sl) m
• Spanish: bajo (es) m
• Swedish: bas (sv) c
• Welsh: bas (cy) m
• Yiddish: באַס m (bas)

musical instrument

• Arabic: غيتار البيس
• Bulgarian: бас (bg) (bas)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 貝斯 / 贝斯 (zh) (bèisī)

• Crimean Tatar: bas
• Czech: basa (cs) f
• Dutch: basgitaar (nl) m or f, bas (nl) m
• Faroese: bassur m
• Finnish: basso (fi)
• French: basse (fr) f
• German: Bass (de) m, Baß (de) m (obsolete spelling)
• Greek: μπάσο (el) n (báso)
• Hungarian: basszusgitár (hu)
• Icelandic: bassagítar m
• Italian: basso (it) m
• Japanese: ベース (ja) (bēsu)
• Korean: 베이스 (beiseu)
• Persian: گیتار بیس
• Polish: bas (pl) m
• Portuguese: baixo (pt) m
• Russian: бас (ru) m (bas)
• Scottish Gaelic: beus m
• Slovene: bas (sl) m
• Spanish: bajo (es) m
• Swedish: bas (sv) c, basgitarr c
• Thai: กีตาร์เบส
• Vietnamese: ghi-ta bass
• Welsh: bas (cy) m

clef sign

• Finnish: bassoavain (fi)
• German: Bassschlüssel (de) m, Baßschlüssel (de) m (obsolete spelling)
• Hungarian: basszuskulcs (hu)
• Italian: chiave di basso f, chiave di fa f
• Polish: klucz basowy m
• Portuguese: clave de fá (pt) f
• Russian: ба́совый ключ m (básovyj ključ)
• Slovene: bas (sl) m
• Swedish: bas (sv) c, basklav c
• Welsh: bas (cy) m

Verb

bass (third-person singular simple present basses, present participle bassing, simple past and past participle bassed)

1. To sound in a deep tone.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], lines 99-99:

     […] and the Thunder
     (That deepe and dreadfull Organ-Pipe) pronounc'd
     The name of Proſper : it did baſe my Treſpaſſe

Translations

sound in a deep tone

• Finnish: jyristä (fi)
• Polish: basować (pl) impf

Etymology 2

a smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

From Middle English bace, bas, alteration of bars, from Old English bærs (“a fish, perch”), from Proto-West Germanic *bars, from Proto-Germanic *barsaz (“perch”, literally “prickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰórsos (“prickle, thorn, scale”). Cognate with Dutch baars (“perch, bass”), German Barsch (“perch”). More at barse.

Alternative forms

• basse (archaic)

Pronunciation

• enPR: băs, IPA^(key): /bæs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æs
• Homophone: Bass

Noun

bass (countable and uncountable, plural basses or bass)

2. The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.

Derived terms

• basslet
• black bass (Micropterus spp.)
• largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
• peacock bass
• sea bass
• smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
• spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
• striped bass (Morone saxatilis)
• white bass (Morone chrysops)
• Chilean sea bass
• European sea bass
• calico bass
• Otsego bass
• channel bass
• grass bass
• kelp bass
• rock bass
• spottail bass

Translations

the perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes — see also perch

• Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can
• Albanian: levrek (sq) m
• Armenian: պերկես (hy) (perkes)
• Belarusian: аку́нь m (akúnʹ), во́кунь m (vókunʹ)
• Bulgarian: ко́стур (bg) m (kóstur)
• Catalan: llobarro (ca) m
• Cherokee: ᎤᏃᎦ (unoga)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鱸魚 / 鲈鱼 (zh) (lúyú)

• Dutch: baars (nl) m
• Finnish: bassi (fi); ahvenkala (fi)
• French: bar (fr) m, perche (fr) f, achigan (fr) m (Canada)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Barsch (de) m
• Greek: πέρκα (el) f (pérka)

  Ancient: λάβραξ m (lábrax)

• Hungarian: sügér (hu) (perch), fekete sügér (smallmouth bass), pisztrángsügér (hu) (largemouth bass)
• Indonesian: kakap (id)
• Italian: branzino (it) m, spigola (it) m
• Kazakh: алабұға (alabūğa)
• Latvian: asaris (lv)
• Laz: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: ešerys
• Maori: moeone, ngutoro
• Norwegian: bass (no)
• Persian: خارماهی (xârmâhi)
• Polish: okoń (pl) m, bass (pl) m
• Portuguese: perca (pt) f
• Romanian: biban (ro) m
• Russian: о́кунь (ru) m (ókunʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: basan m, creagag-uisge f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: гргеч m

  Roman: grgeč (sh) m

• Slovak: okúň m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wokuń m, wótšawa f

• Spanish: róbalo (es) m, lubina f, perca f (freshwater)
• Swedish: abborre (sv) c
• Turkish: levrek (tr)
• Ukrainian: о́кунь (uk) m (ókunʹ)
• Welsh: draenogiad y môr m

Etymology 3

A corruption of bast.

Pronunciation

• enPR: băs, IPA^(key): /bæs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æs

Noun

bass (countable and uncountable, plural basses)

1. The fibrous inner bark of the linden or lime tree, used for making mats.
2. Fibers from other plants, especially palm trees
3. Anything made from such fibers, such as a hassock, basket or thick mat.
   • [1865, William Stott Banks, A List of Provincial Words in use at Wakefield in Yorkshire, Wakefield: J.R.Smith, page 6:

     BASS, 1, a door mat]

   • 1982 [1980], J L Carr, A Month in the Country, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books/Harvester Press, →ISBN, page 2:

     I set off half-heartedly, as best I could sheltering my spare clothes (which were in the straw fish-bass) under my coat. […] The rain made a channel from my trilby down my neck and one handle of the fish-bass gave way.

Derived terms

• basswood

See also

• bass on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• BSAs, SABS, sabs

Cimbrian

Noun

bass n (plural bèssar, diminutive bèssle)

1. (Mezzaselva) Alternative form of vass

Declension

Declension of bass – 3rd declension

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	an	's	bass	de	bèssar
accusative	an	's	bass	de	bèssar
dative	aname	me	basse	in	bèssarn

German

Etymology

Former comparative of wohl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bas]

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

bass (strong nominative masculine singular basser, not comparable)

1. greatly

Usage notes

This word is primarily used in the collocations bass erstaunt/basses Erstaunen.

Declension

Positive forms of bass (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist bass	sie ist bass	es ist bass	sie sind bass
strong declension (without article)	nominative	basser	basse	basses	basse
	genitive	bassen	basser	bassen	basser
	dative	bassem	basser	bassem	bassen
	accusative	bassen	basse	basses	basse
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der basse	die basse	das basse	die bassen
	genitive	des bassen	der bassen	des bassen	der bassen
	dative	dem bassen	der bassen	dem bassen	den bassen
	accusative	den bassen	die basse	das basse	die bassen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein basser	eine basse	ein basses	(keine) bassen
	genitive	eines bassen	einer bassen	eines bassen	(keiner) bassen
	dative	einem bassen	einer bassen	einem bassen	(keinen) bassen
	accusative	einen bassen	eine basse	ein basses	(keine) bassen

Further reading

• “bass” in Duden online
• “bass” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Kwama

Noun

bass

1. milk

References

• Goldberg, Justin, Asadik, Habte, Bekama, Jiregna, Mengistu, Mulat (2016) Gwama – English Dictionary‎^[1], SIL International

Latvian

Etymology 1

From Italian basso.

Noun

bass m (1st declension)

1. bass

Etymology 2

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *basás, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós. Cognate with Lithuanian basas, Russian босо́й (bosój), English bare.

Adjective

bass (definite basais, comparative basāks, superlative visbasākais, adverb basi)

1. bare, unshod (of feet: without shoes, socks or other coverings)

   staigāt basām kājām ― to walk barefoot, to walk with bare feet

Declension

indefinite declension (nenoteiktā galotne) of bass

	masculine (vīriešu dzimte)			feminine (sieviešu dzimte)
	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)		singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	bass	basi		basa	basas
accusative (akuzatīvs)	basu	basus		basu	basas
genitive (ģenitīvs)	basa	basu		basas	basu
dative (datīvs)	basam	basiem		basai	basām
instrumental (instrumentālis)	basu	basiem		basu	basām
locative (lokatīvs)	basā	basos		basā	basās
vocative (vokatīvs)	—	—		—	—

Synonyms

• kails

Lombard

Etymology

Akin to Italian basso, from Late Latin bassus.

Adjective

bass

1. low

Luxembourgish

Verb

bass

1. second-person singular present indicative of sinn

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bas/

• Audio (Gozo):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Root
b-s-s
2 terms

Inherited from dialectal Arabic; compare Tunisian Arabic بص (baṣṣ, “to fart”).

Verb

bass (imperfect jboss, verbal noun bass)

1. to fart loudly
2. to boo (someone)

Conjugation

Conjugation of bass

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	bassejt	bassejt	bass		bassejna	bassejtu	bassew
	f			basset
imperfect	m	nboss	tboss	jboss		nbossu	tbossu	jbossu
	f			tboss
imperative			boss				bossu

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bus.

Noun

bass m (plural bassis)

1. bus

Etymology 3

Adverb

bass

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of biss

Middle English

Adjective

bass

1. Alternative form of bas

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin bassus, via Italian basso.

Noun

bass m (definite singular bassen, indefinite plural basser, definite plural bassene)

1. (music) bass (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the base range)
2. (music) short for bassgitar (bass guitar) or kontrabass (double bass)

Derived terms

• kontrabass
• snurrebass

References

• “bass” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin bassus, via Italian basso.

Noun

bass m (definite singular bassen, indefinite plural bassar, definite plural bassane)

1. (music) bass (musical range, person, instrument or group performing in the base range)
2. (music) short for bassgitar (bass guitar) or kontrabass (double bass)

Derived terms

• kontrabass
• snurrebass

References

• “bass” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romansch

Alternative forms

• bas (Vallader)

Etymology

From Late Latin bassus.

Adjective

bass m (f bassa, m pl bass, f pl bassas)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) deep, low