Bassoon
/bəˈsuːn/noun
A large double-reed woodwind instrument with a deep, reedy tone.
Did you know?Its name comes through French from Italian bassone, an augmentative of basso, so the word itself was used to label something oversized and deep-sounding long before it became the voice of the orchestra’s shadow.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
bassus
“Short, low, thick-set; source ultimately uncertain.”
Medieval Italian
Italian
basso
“Low; deep in pitch.”
16th Century
Italian
bassone
“Literally 'large bass' or 'big low one'; used for a large low-pitched instrument.”
17th Century
French
basson
“A large bass reed instrument.”
18th Century
English
bassoon
“The modern English name for the large double-reed woodwind.”
Explore more surprising origins