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Glite Dictionary
hautboy

hautboy

9.9
A thin wind instrument like an oboe used in early music
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊtˌbɔɪ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : oboe
  • In the baroque ensemble, the hautboy added a distinct sound that complemented the strings and brass instruments perfectly.

Examples

  • While studying classical music, I learned that the hautboy originated as an early form of the oboe, with its unique double-reed mouthpiece.

  • Here, it will be remembered, meat and bread are sliced into triangles and parallelograms; sausages and puddings shaped like hautboys and flutes.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The musician played the hautboy beautifully at the concert, captivating the audience with its rich, warm tones.

Synonyms

oboe
vshautboy
13 5.0

A wooden instrument like a small flute that makes a clear high sound using a double reed

refers to an earlier historical version rather than the modern instrument
hautbois
vshautboy
  • Archaic
9.9

A wind instrument with two thin reeds that you blow between used in Baroque music

focuses on physical features rather than historical period

Surface Forms

hautboy singular
hautboys plural

Etymology

Hautboy comes from French parts haut 'high' and bois 'wood'. So it meant a 'high wood' instrument, which is why a hautboy was the early oboe, a thin wooden wind instrument with a high, clear sound.