Definition of "bass" []

• Any of several North American freshwater fishes of the family Centrarchidae, related to but larger than the sunfishes. (noun)
• Any of various marine fishes of the family Serranidae, such as the sea bass and the striped bass. (noun)
• A low-pitched sound or tone. (noun)
• The tones in the lowest register of an instrument. (noun)
• A male singing voice of the lowest range. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The tone of the _bass_ is much heavier and the instrument itself is much more clumsy to handle than the other members of the group, hence it is almost never used as a solo instrument but it is invaluable for reinforcing the bass part in orchestral music."
• "After all, this bass is the instrument of his youth, one of his iconic symbols, as Mr. Carlin affirms on the way to this muddle-up of the moment: It is his Rosebud, his Excalibur."
• "The double bass is also called the bass viol, string bass, and bass fiddle."