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Definition of contrabass adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

contrabass

adjective

/ˈkɒntrəbeɪs/

/ˈkɑːntrəbeɪs/

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(of a musical instrument) with a range of notes one octave below that of a bass instrument
- a contrabass clarinet
Word Originlate 18th cent.: from Italian contrabasso, from contra- ‘pitched an octave below’ + basso, from Latin basis ‘base, pedestal’, from Greek.

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noun

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