Meaning

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

Definitions by Sense

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

Example Sentences

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.

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

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

The pilgrim's return was denoted by a bunch of palm, which was tied round the head of the bourdon, the leaves being, of course, ghe guerdon of his enterprise, giving the name of Palmer to the tribe.

Both in Wright's text and in Lydgate's version the hutch from which Grace Dieu gets the scrip and bourdon is said to contain 'many a fair jewel.'

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

Word Forms

• bourdons
• bordon
• burdon

Synonyms for bourdon

Related Words

When Should You Use Bourdon?

Use bourdon when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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