bass

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several North American freshwater fishes of the family Centrarchidae, related to but larger than the sunfishes.
2. n. Any of various marine fishes of the family Serranidae, such as the sea bass and the striped bass.
3. n. A low-pitched sound or tone.
4. n. The tones in the lowest register of an instrument.
5. n. A male singing voice of the lowest range.
6. n. A singer who has such a voice.
7. n. An instrument that sounds within this range.
8. n. A vocal or instrumental part written within this range.
9. n. An instrument, especially a double bass, that produces tones in a low register.
10. adj. Having a deep tone.
11. adj. Low in pitch.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Originally, the perch, but now restricted to fishes more or less like the true perch. In England, the Labrax lupus, an acanthopterygian fish with a compressed fusiform contour, two dorsal fins, the first with 9 spines, the second with from 12 to 14 rays, a general grayish or greenish color, relieved by small black spots, and a whitish belly. It is an esteemed food-fish.
2. n. Same as bast.
3. n. The American linden or lime-tree, Tilia Americana. See basswood.
4. n. A mat made of bass or bast; a bass-mat; hence, any thick mat or matting; formerly, a straw hassock or cushion.
5. In music, low; deep; grave.
6. n. In music, the lowest part in the harmony of a musical composition, whether vocal or instrumental. According to some it is the fundamental or most important part, while others regard the melody or highest part in that light. Next to the melody, the bass part is the most striking, the freest and boldest in its movements, and the richest in effect.
7. n. A male voice of the lowest or gravest kind, having a compass of about two octaves from the second F below middle C, or lower.
8. n. A singer having such a voice.
9. n. A musical instrument of any class having a deep, grave tone, excelled in gravity only by the contrabass.
10. n. Same as bass clef (which see, under clef).
11. To sing or play the bass part of; accompany with the bass.
12. To sound in a deep tone.
13. To take the bass part in a concerted piece of music: as, he basses very steadily.
14. n. In coal-mining, black carbonaceous shale.
15. To kiss.
16. n. A kiss; a buss.
17. n. The commercial name of a fiber, resembling horsehair or wire, obtained from the sheathing leaf-bases or the leaf-stalks of certain palms. It is dark brown or black in color, and is used for brooms, brushes, ropes, and cables. Also called piassava. See bast-palm, piassava, and bassine.

Wiktionary

1. n. The perch; any of various marine and freshwater fish resembling the perch, all within the order of Perciformes.
2. adj. Of sound, a voice or an instrument, low in pitch or frequency.
3. n. A low spectrum of sound tones.
4. n. A section of musical group that produces low-pitched sound, lower than tenor.
5. n. A male singer who sings in the bass range.
6. n. An instrument that plays in the bass range, in particular a double bass, bass guitar, electric bass or bass synthesiser.
7. n. The clef sign that indicates that the pitch of the notes is below middle C; a bass clef.
8. v. To sound in a deep tone.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species.
2. n. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass.
3. n. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass.
4. n. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish.
5. n. (Bot.) The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See bast.
6. n. A hassock or thick mat.
7. n. A bass, or deep, sound or tone.
8. n. The lowest part in a musical composition.
9. n. One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass.
10. adj. Deep or grave in tone.
11. v. rare To sound in a deep tone.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the lowest part of the musical range
2. adj. having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range
3. n. the lean flesh of a saltwater fish of the family Serranidae
4. n. the lowest adult male singing voice
5. n. the member with the lowest range of a family of musical instruments
6. n. the lowest part in polyphonic music
7. n. nontechnical name for any of numerous edible marine and freshwater spiny-finned fishes
8. n. an adult male singer with the lowest voice
9. n. any of various North American freshwater fish with lean flesh (especially of the genus Micropterus)