Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis
Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis
Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor.
Latin basis
Old French basebor.
Middle English base
English base
▲
Italian bassoinflu.
English bass
A respelling of base under the influence of Italian basso (“low”).
Meanings
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.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
base
alternative, dated
lexicographic
basser
Degree=Cmp
lexicographic
bassest
Degree=Sup
lexicographic
Translations (30)
ur ڈھولک (low in pitch) · gl grave (low in pitch) · pt baixo (low in pitch) · hu basszus (low in pitch) · ru ба́совый (low in pitch) · ja ベース (low in pitch) · cy bas (low in pitch) · pl basowy (low in pitch) · eo basa (low in pitch) · tl malagong (low in pitch) · gl baixo (low in pitch) · kix tūmtûm (low in pitch) · de bass (low in pitch) · ja バス (low in pitch) · fi ala- (low in pitch) · haw leo uō (low in pitch) · ca baix (low in pitch) · fi matala (low in pitch) · mi nguru (low in pitch) · it basso (low in pitch) · el ήχος χαμηλής κλίμακας (low in pitch) · es bajo (low in pitch) · tr bas (low in pitch) · fr bas (low in pitch) · la bassus (low in pitch) · sv bas (low in pitch) · pt grave (low in pitch) · fr grave (low in pitch) · bg басов (low in pitch) · el μπάσος (low in pitch)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis
Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis
Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor.
Latin basis
Old French basebor.
Middle English base
English base
▲
Italian bassoinflu.
English bass
A respelling of base under the influence of Italian basso (“low”).
Meanings
A low spectrum of sound tones.
Peter adjusted the equalizer on his audio equipment to emphasize the bass.
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.
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.
An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a bass guitar, double bass, 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.
(qualifier:music notation) The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C.
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.
fr basse (musical instrument) · de Bassschlüssel (clef sign) · nl bas (low spectrum of sound) · hu basszus (low spectrum of sound) · es bajo (singer with a bass voice type) · gd beus (low spectrum of sound) · sl bas (low spectrum of sound) · mi reo panguru (singer with a bass voice type) · bg бас (low spectrum of sound) · fr basse (singer with a bass voice type) · fi basso (singer with a bass voice type) · ar غيتار البيس (musical instrument) · de Bass (singer with a bass voice type) · yi באַס (singer with a bass voice type) · sl bas (musical instrument) · vi ghi-ta bass (musical instrument) · cmn 男低音 (singer with a bass voice type) · fi basso (section of musical group) · pl bas (musical instrument) · hu basszus (singer with a bass voice type) · crh bas (low spectrum of sound) · nl bas (singer with a bass voice type) · cy bas (singer with a bass voice type) · cmn 貝斯 /贝斯 (musical instrument) · hu basszusgitár (musical instrument) · bg бас (musical instrument) · bg бас (singer with a bass voice type) · ru ба́совый ключ (clef sign) · sv bas (musical instrument) · pl bas (section of musical group) · ru бас (low spectrum of sound) · mi reo panguru (low spectrum of sound) · bg басов ключ (clef sign) · crh bas (musical instrument) · ko 남성저음 (low spectrum of sound) · ab абас (low spectrum of sound) · pl klucz basowy (clef sign) · ja バス (singer with a bass voice type) · crh bas (singer with a bass voice type) · de Bass (musical instrument) · ja ベース (musical instrument) · crh bas (section of musical group) · mi reo nguru (low spectrum of sound) · de Bass (section of musical group) · eo baso (low spectrum of sound) · ko 베이스 (section of musical group) · nl basgitaar (musical instrument) · cmn 低音 (low spectrum of sound) · fi basso (low spectrum of sound) · fa گیتار بیس (musical instrument) · ko 베이스 (musical instrument) · fi basso (musical instrument) · it chiave di fa (clef sign) · pt clave de fá (clef sign) · sv bas (singer with a bass voice type) · is bassagítar (musical instrument) · hu basszus (section of musical group) · pt baixo (section of musical group) · sl bas (singer with a bass voice type) · ka ბანი (singer with a bass voice type) · yi באַס (low spectrum of sound) · ja ベース (low spectrum of sound) · pt baixo (low spectrum of sound) · ca baix (low spectrum of sound) · pl bas (singer with a bass voice type) · bg бас (section of musical group) · pt baixo (musical instrument) · sv bas (low spectrum of sound) · sv bas (clef sign) · el μπάσα (low spectrum of sound) · cs basa (musical instrument) · cy bas (low spectrum of sound) · cy bas (musical instrument) · fi bassoavain (clef sign) · pl bas (low spectrum of sound) · sl bas (section of musical group) · it basso (singer with a bass voice type) · tl lagong (section of musical group) · gd crònan (low spectrum of sound) · fr basse (low spectrum of sound) · gd beus (musical instrument) · el μπάσο (section of musical group) · cmn 低音 (singer with a bass voice type) · ab аба́с (singer with a bass voice type) · es bajo (low spectrum of sound) · ab аба́н (low spectrum of sound) · nl bas (musical instrument) · ko 베이스 (low spectrum of sound) · cy bas (section of musical group) · sv basgitarr (musical instrument) · el μπάσος (low spectrum of sound) · ru бас (singer with a bass voice type) · sv basklav (clef sign) · pt baixo (singer with a bass voice type) · uk бас (low spectrum of sound) · hu basszuskulcs (clef sign) · ru бас (musical instrument) · cy bas (clef sign) · it chiave di basso (clef sign) · ab абжьгәа́ҩа (low spectrum of sound) · el βαρύτονος (singer with a bass voice type) · fa باس (section of musical group) · el μπάσο (musical instrument) · fo bassur (musical instrument) · it basso (musical instrument) · nl bas (section of musical group) · th กีตาร์เบส (musical instrument) · el μπάσο (low spectrum of sound) · ru бас (section of musical group) · de Bass (low spectrum of sound) · es bajo (musical instrument) · sl bas (clef sign)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis
Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis
Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor.
Latin basis
Old French basebor.
Middle English base
English base
▲
Italian bassoinflu.
English bass
A respelling of base under the influence of Italian basso (“low”).
Meanings
(transitive) To sound in a deep tone.
[…] and the Thunder / (That deepe and dreadfull Organ-Pipe) pronounc'd / The name of Proſper : it did baſe my Treſpaſſe 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:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
bassing
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
basses
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
base
alternative, dated
lexicographic
bassed
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
bassed
Tense=Past
lexicographic
Translations (3)
bg тътна (sound in a deep tone) · fi jyristä (sound in a deep tone) · pl basować (sound in a deep tone)
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.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.
mi moeone (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · pl bass (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · be во́кунь (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · pt achigã (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · gd basan (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · nl baars (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · sv abborre (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · sk okúň (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fr perche (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · id kakap (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · no bass (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · hy պերկես (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · uk о́кунь (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · de Barsch (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fi ahvenkala (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · kw yown (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · hu fekete sügér (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · lv asaris (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · grc λάβραξ (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · mi ngutoro (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fa خارماهی (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · es lubina (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · ru о́кунь (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · bg ко́стур (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fi bassi (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · tr levrek (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · ro biban (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · sh гргеч (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · pl okoń (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · gd creagag-uisge (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · lt ešerys (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · hu pisztrángsügér (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · hu sügér (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · kk алабұға (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · it spigola (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · dsb wótšawa (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · sh grgeč (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · ab азқәа́ч (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · chr ᎤᏃᎦ (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · dsb wokuń (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · pt perca (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · es perca (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · ab ацәабла́ (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · el πέρκα (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fr bar (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · cmn 鱸魚 /鲈鱼 (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · be аку́нь (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · fr achigan (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · cy draenogiad y môr (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · ca llobarro (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · la perca (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · es róbalo (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · sq levrek (fish of the order ''Perciformes'') · it branzino (fish of the order ''Perciformes'')
(countable, uncountable) The fibrous inner bark of the linden or lime tree, used for making mats.
(countable, uncountable) Fibers from other plants, especially palm trees
(countable, uncountable) Anything made from such fibers, such as a hassock, basket or thick mat.
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. 1982 [1980], J. L. Carr, A Month in the Country, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books/Harvester Press, →ISBN, page 2:
BASS, 1, a door mat [1865, William Stott Banks, A List of Provincial Words in use at Wakefield in Yorkshire, Wakefield: J.R.Smith, page 6: