bourdon

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a continuous low drone or bass tone, especially one produced by a bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy, or similar instrument

   A deep bourdon sounded beneath the melody throughout the procession.

2. 2
   noun

   a low-pitched stopped pipe-organ register, commonly at sixteen-foot pitch

   The organist added the bourdon to give the final chord a darker foundation.

3. 3
   noun

   the lowest-pitched bell in a carillon or ring of bells

   The bourdon tolled once before the smaller bells entered.

From Middle French bourdon, 'drone or bass,' ultimately associated with a Latin word for a buzzing insect and probably imitative of a low humming sound. The musical word is historically distinct from the homonymous term for a pilgrim's staff.

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