oboe

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a high-pitched woodwind instrument with a narrow conical bore and a double reed, used especially in orchestras and chamber music

   The oboe played the quiet melody that tuned the mood of the opening movement.

2. 2
   noun

   an oboe player or an oboe-like voice or instrumental part

   The conductor asked the first oboe to repeat the exposed passage.

Simplified etymology

Oboe is the Italian form of French hautbois, the name of a woodwind instrument known from at least the 15th century. Hautbois combines haut, “high,” referring to its pitch relative to instruments such as the bassoon, with bois, “wood.” English first borrowed the French word in forms such as hautboy and hoboy in the late 16th century, before adopting oboe in the early 18th century.

Adopted in the eighteenth century from Italian oboe, itself a spelling of French hautbois, literally 'high wood,' from haut, 'high or loud,' + bois, 'wood.' The earlier English form was hautboy. The instrument developed from the shawm family.

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External links

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