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Glite Dictionary
bass voice

bass voice

2 3.1
A low male singing voice that sounds deep and rich
  • noun
  • /beɪs vɔɪs/
  • Specialized
: voz de bajo
  • "Dr. Stevens," a deep bass voice echoed from the back of the hall.
  • a deep bass voice
  • a resonant bass voice
  • a beautiful bass voice

And she she came in because you, me and Monet all sing opera, all have a bass voice.

Examples

  • And then I remember one incredibly dark night… being at an oasis, and there were palm trees moving in the wind… and I could hear Kozan singing far away in that beautiful bass voice.

    My Dinner with Andre (1981)

  • A resonant bass voice started the tune, and the rest of us joined in:

    Fiction book (1994)

  • You have a good bass voice.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • "All right, let's hear your version of what happened, Colonel," started the General in a tight bass voice.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • "Wait," the commanding officer said in his bass voice.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Kalish admired his deep bass voice.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "Hello, the house," called out the leader of the troop in a resonant bass voice.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A tall woman with a short haircut recited her work in a mellow bass voice.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Taking off his black gloves as he came, he paused before Jack, who was blocking the way, and asked in a soft, bass voice, "Is this the Holman residence?"

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The singer captivated the audience with his powerful bass voice during the concert.

Synonyms

bass
vsbass voice
33 4.9

A low male singing voice in a choir or opera

is specifically the lowest adult male sung voice with deep resonant tone
basso
vsbass voice
  • Specialized
1 8.0

An adult man who sings in the lowest voice, often in opera or choir

refers to the voice type itself rather than the person who sings it
basso profundo
vsbass voice
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A very deep male singing voice that reaches the lowest bass notes

is the common lowest adult male voice rather than only the extreme low range

How Low

bass voice
  • Specialized
2 3.1
baritone
17 4.5
tenor
7 5.1
alto
1 5.4
soprano
6 5.3

Surface Forms

bass voice singular
bass voices plural

Morphology

bass + voice

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'bass' (the deepest male vocal part) + 'voice' (sound produced by singing), yielding 'the lowest/deep male singing voice.' This noun-noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Bass voice comes from the word bass meaning 'low' in music and voice meaning a singer's sound. Singers who sang the lowest notes were called 'bass', so bass voice now means the deepest adult male singing sound.