basso

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   low and deep in pitch, especially of a male voice

   His voice sounded basso in the planet's unusually thick air.

2. 2
   noun

   a male singer with the lowest adult vocal range

   The opera's leading basso gave the villain a dark, resonant voice.

3. 3
   noun

   a musical part written in the bass register or for a bass instrument

   The continuo's basso supported the melody with a steady harmonic line.

Borrowed from Italian basso, 'low' or 'bass,' from Late Latin bassus, 'short, low.' It is a doublet of base and bass. English uses it for a low male singer, a bass musical part, and, more broadly, a voice with a deep pitch.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images