# bass

Pronunciation: say "BAYS" /beɪs/

## Noun

1. The range of low-pitched tones in sound or music.
   - Simple: The deep, low sounds you hear in music or speech.
   - _The recording needed more bass to fill out the low end._
   - _Heavy bass made the floor vibrate at the concert._
3. An instrument that plays in the low range, especially a double bass, bass guitar, electric bass, or bass synthesizer.
   - Simple: A musical instrument that plays low, deep notes, like a bass guitar.
   - _The bass holds down the groove while the guitar takes a solo._
   - _A four-string bass is common in funk and reggae._
4. Any of various marine or freshwater fish resembling the perch, belonging to the order Perciformes. (pronounced: say "BAS" /bæs/)
   - Simple: A type of fish that lives in lakes, rivers, or the sea and is often caught for food.
   - _Anglers prize striped bass for the fight it puts up._
   - _The bass darted into the reeds when a shadow crossed the water._
5. The section of a musical group that produces the lowest-pitched sound, below the baritone and tenor.
   - Simple: The part of a choir or band that sings or plays the lowest notes.
   - _The bass anchors the harmony beneath the tenors and baritones._
   - _Our conductor asked the bass to sing more softly._
6. A person who sings in the lowest vocal range.
   - Simple: A singer who sings the lowest notes.
   - _The bass held the final note long after the others stopped._
   - _She trained for years to sing as a bass in opera._
7. The clef sign showing that the written notes fall below middle C, also called the bass clef.
   - Simple: The music symbol that shows the notes are low, below middle C.
   - _Tuba parts are written in the bass to match the instrument's low range._
   - _She struggled to read the bass at first._
9. Fibrous material forming the inner bark of the linden, or lime, tree, used to make mats. (pronounced: say "BAS" /bæs/)
   - Simple: The soft inner bark of the linden tree, used to make mats.
   - _Cordage twisted from bass held the bundles together._
   - _They soaked the bass before weaving it into mats._
10. An object made from bast or other plant fibers, such as a hassock, basket, or thick mat. (pronounced: say "BAS" /bæs/)
   - Simple: Something made from plant or bark fibers, like a basket or thick mat.
   - _The hassock was stuffed and covered with bass._
   - _Villagers wove bass into baskets and thick floor mats._
11. Similar fiber obtained from other plants, especially palm trees. (pronounced: say "BAS" /bæs/)
   - Simple: Plant fibers used for weaving, especially from palm trees.
   - _Craftsmen braided bass from palm fronds into sturdy cord._
   - _Much of the matting was made from palm bass._

## Adjective

2. Low in pitch or frequency, as a sound, voice, or instrument.
   - Simple: Low and deep in sound, like a deep voice or instrument.
   - _A bass drum anchors the rhythm section beneath the snares._
   - _His bass voice carried across the crowded auditorium._

## Verb

8. To give out a sound in a deep, low tone.
   - Simple: To make a deep, low sound.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–8** — A respelling of "base," influenced by the Italian "basso" ("low").
**Meaning 4** — From Middle English "bace," an alteration of "bars," from Old English "bærs" ("a fish, perch"), going back through Proto-Germanic "*barsaz" ("perch," literally "prickly") to Proto-Indo-European "*bʰórsos" ("prickle, thorn, scale"). It is related to Dutch "baars" and German "Barsch" ("perch").
**Meanings 9–11** — A corruption of "bast."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bass (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).