oom-pah

noun

A genre of Germanic music (especially Bavarian music) typically involving brass instruments.

“An oom-pah bassline: {\clef bass<<{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"muted trumpet"\repeat unfold4{c8r g,r”

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Meanings

nounoom-pah (uncountable)

alternative oom-pa · alternative oompa · alternative oompah

  1. uncountableentertainmentA genre of Germanic music (especially Bavarian music) typically involving brass instruments.
  2. uncountableentertainmentA bassline characteristic of such music, alternating lower and higher notes or chords on the beat, or in a mid-high-low-high sequence.

    An oom-pah bassline: {\clef bass<<{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"muted trumpet"\repeat unfold4{c8r g,r

Origin

Onomatopoeia of the sound and rhythm of German folk music. Doublet of humppa.

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Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: oom-pah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.