noun
Meaning 1
The part or section one octave lower than bass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
contrabass
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈkɑn.tɹəˌbeɪs/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
Double bass; string bass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Any of the several contrabass instruments.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The person or instrument performing the contrabass part.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
pitched an octave below normal bass instrumental or vocal range
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- contrabass or double-bass clarinet
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: double-bass
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
largest and lowest member of the violin family
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bass fiddle, bass viol, bull fiddle, double bass, string bass
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bass, bowed stringed instrument, string
History
Etymology
From Italian contrabbasso, from contra (“against”) + basso (“low”).
Across languages
Translations
14 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Danish: kontrabas — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Dutch: contrabas — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Finnish: kontrabasso — part or section one octave lower than bass
- French: contrebasse — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Friulian: cuintribàs — part or section one octave lower than bass
- German: Kontrabass — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Italian: contrabbasso — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Japanese: コントラバス (kontorabasu) — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Portuguese: contrabaixo — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Russian: контраба́с (kontrabás) — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Spanish: contrabajo — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Swedish: kontrabas — part or section one octave lower than bass
- Finnish: kontrabasso — person or instrument performing the contrabass part
- Macedonian: ко́нтрабас (kóntrabas) — person or instrument performing the contrabass part
Real reading context