basso profundo

noun

bas·​so pro·​fun·​do ˌba-(ˌ)sō-prə-ˈfən-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce basso profundo (audio)
ˌbä-,
-ˈfu̇n- How to pronounce basso profundo (audio)
plural basso profundos
: a deep heavy bass voice with an exceptionally low range
also : a person having this voice

Examples of basso profundo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That booming basso profundo, conveying instant dignity or menace, was Jones’ signature instrument. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024 And eventually the instrument Jones developed there — a resonant basso profundo that carried majesty and subtlety in its velvet folds — proved the key to financial success and an eternal spot in the pop culture pantheon. Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2024 To continue the musical analogy, the Jean-Pierre Large Morgon from Beaujolais adds an earthy basso profundo. Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 As the God of Love, Phillip Bullock travels from airy falsetto to basso profundo depths. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 Around the communal farmhouse table, guests recount stories over minke whale carpaccio and local reindeer, while the silence outside is punctuated only by the occasional basso profundo of an avalanche beginning to rumble somewhere along the valley. Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Dec. 2022 Bogdanov’s low range would make a basso profundo proud. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2022 Days earlier at practice, no player was out of range of Inserra’s basso profundo voice, which capably battled low-flying jets from nearby O’Hare International Airport for decibel dominance. George Castle, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 Surely, that would draw from him a big, basso profundo chuckle. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, deep bass

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of basso profundo was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near basso profundo

Cite this Entry

“Basso profundo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basso%20profundo. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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