octobass

O1C3T1O1B3A1S1S1

noun

A very large bass requiring two musicians, one to finger and one to bow.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounoctobass (plural octobasses)

plural octobasses

  1. entertainmentA very large bass requiring two musicians, one to finger and one to bow.

Origin

From octo- + bass. The name "octobass" comes from "octo-" meaning "eight" in Latin and "-bass", which is general name for any bass instrument (like "double bass", "contrabass" etc.). "Octo" is used because its range extending more than an octave below that of the double bass - it is tuned to A0, compared to the C1 that a double bass can stretch to, which makes octobass the lowest chordophone ever created.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans oktobas
  • oktobaslarge bass
Basque oktobaxu
  • oktobaxularge bass
German Oktobass
  • Oktobasslarge bass
Italian ottobasso
  • ottobassolarge bass
Japanese オクトバス
  • オクトバス (okutobasu)large bass
Korean 옥토베이스
  • 옥토베이스 (oktobeiseu)large bass
Polish oktobas
  • oktobaslarge bass
Portuguese octobaixo
  • octobaixolarge bass
Russian октобас
  • октобас (oktobas)large bass
Spanish octabajo
  • octabajolarge bass
Ukrainian октобас
  • октобас (oktobas)large bass
Cite this entry
APA

octobass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/octobass

MLA

“octobass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/octobass. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “octobass,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/octobass.

Source: octobass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.