contrabass

[ kon-truh-beys ]
/ ˈkɒn trəˌbeɪs /
Music.

noun

(in any family of instruments) the member below the bass.
(in the violin family) the double bass.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of such instruments: a contrabass trombone.

Origin of contrabass

From Italian, dating back to 1590–1600; see origin at contrabasso

OTHER WORDS FROM contrabass

con·tra·bass·ist [kon-truh-bey-sist, -bas-ist] /ˈkɒn trəˌbeɪ sɪst, -ˌbæs ɪst/, noun

Words nearby contrabass

contra-aperture, contra-guide rudder, contraband, contraband of war, contrabandist, contrabass, contrabasso, contrabassoon, contracept, contraception, contraceptive

Example sentences from the Web for contrabass

British Dictionary definitions for contrabass

contrabass
/ (ˌkɒntrəˈbeɪs) /

noun

a member of any of various families of musical instruments that is lower in pitch than the bass
another name for double bass

adjective

of or denoting the instrument of a family that is lower than the bass

Derived forms of contrabass

contrabassist (ˌkɒntrəˈbeɪsɪst, -ˈbæs-), noun