bassoon

noun

bas·​soon bə-ˈsün 

ba-

: a double-reed woodwind instrument having a long U-shaped conical tube connected to the mouthpiece by a thin metal tube and a usual range two octaves lower than that of the oboe

bassoonist

bə-ˈsü-nist 

ba-

noun

Illustration of bassoon

Examples of bassoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Behind the bassoons and in front of the trumpets was an odd trapezoidal object, reminiscent of a baccarat table, its surface strung with strings like the innards of a piano laid bare. —Jane Bua, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

The Tangent members are Steven Palacio, bassoon; James Blanchard, flute; Tamara Winston, oboe; Alec Manasse, clarinet; and Cort Roberts, horn. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2025

In the prelude to the fourth act, set in the Sultan’s prison, cellos and bassoons play an upward line that resembles the lyrical second theme of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

The sauce has a subtle, persistent heat playing in the background—more like a bassoon than a blaring trombone. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French basson, from Italian bassone, from basso basso

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bassoon

• double bassoon

Rhymes for bassoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn
• jejune

Kids Definition

bassoon

noun

bas·​soon bə-ˈsün 

ba-

: the woodwind instrument of the oboe family that plays the lowest part

bassoonist

-ˈsü-nəst 

noun