bass
bass Lexical Profile
bass Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The lowest adult male singing voice, or a singer with such a voice; also, the low-frequency range or lowest harmonic part in music and audio reproduction.
"He adjusted the equalizer on the stereo receiver to boost the bass during the concert recording."
A large, low-pitched stringed musical instrument of the violin family (the double bass) or an electric bass guitar that provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation in an ensemble.
"She played walking jazz lines on the upright bass for the university ensemble."
Any of various spiny-finned freshwater or marine fishes of the order Perciformes (especially families Centrarchidae and Moronidae), such as the largemouth bass or striped bass, prized by anglers in North America and Europe.
"Early in the morning, the anglers cast their lures near the submerged logs hoping to catch a largemouth bass."
The firm, white, flaky flesh of the bass fish eaten as food.
"The restaurant served pan-seared sea bass over a bed of wild mushroom risotto."
• adjective
Having the lowest pitch or range among a family of musical instruments, voices, or audio frequencies.
"The composer scored the solemn opening melody for a solo bass clarinet."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Bass" is a heteronym: when referring to music or low pitch, it is pronounced /beɪs/ (rhyming with "base"), whereas when referring to the fish, it is pronounced /bæs/ (rhyming with "class").
• Rhymes for bass
Word Origin & Etymology
The musical sense derives from Late Latin 'bassus' meaning "low" or "short," altered in spelling after the Italian 'basso'. The fish sense is an unrelated homograph from Old English 'bærs', meaning "a perch," tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "prickly" in reference to its spiny dorsal fins.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.