Meanings
plural bass viols
- A fretted, bowed, stringed musical instrument from the viola da gamba family. It occupies the bass range and is the lowest instrument in the family. Similar to (but smaller than) a cello.
My piano teacher also plays the bass viol.
Synonyms: double bass, upright bass, string bass, bass fiddle, bass violin, doghouse bass, contrabass, stand-up bass
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA fretted, bowed, stringed musical instrument from the viola da gamba family. It occupies the bass range and is the lowest instrument in the family. Similar to (but smaller than) a cello.
More synonyms by meaning
nounviol that is the bass member of the viol family with approximately the range of the cello
nounlargest and lowest member of the violin family
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
bass viol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bass%20viol
“bass viol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bass%20viol. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bass viol,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bass%20viol.
Source: bass viol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.