Bourdon

Quick meaning: Bourdon is a noun meaning (music, archaic) The burden or bass of a melody.

Meaning

(music, archaic) The burden or bass of a melody.

More Meanings

1. The drone pipe of a bagpipe.
2. The lowest-pitched stop of an organ.
3. The lowest-pitched bell of a carillon.
4. A large, low-pitched bell not part of a diatonically tuned ring of bells.
5. A bumblebee, genus Bombus.
6. (historical) Unadapted borrowing from French bourdon; a pilgrim's staff.

Example Sentences

The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.

A thin wand is frequently bound against the pilgrim's bourdon in fifteenth century pictures.

The left hand was gone, this held the bourdon or pilgrim's staff, a small portion only of which appeared over the scrip.

The earth tremors resumed and made a bourdon to the loud psalms that they sang, interspersed with the odd ode of Horace recited by Silas.

Word Forms

• bourdons

Synonyms for bourdon

Depending on context, synonyms include drone.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include drone, faux, contra, bumblebee, burdon, burthen.

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