oboe

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: o=boe

CIDE DICTIONARY

oboe, n. [It., fr. F. hautbois. See Hautboy.].

 One of the higher wind instruments in the modern orchestra, yet of great antiquity, having a penetrating pastoral quality of tone, somewhat like the clarinet in form, but more slender, and sounded by means of a double reed; a hautboy.  [1913 Webster]

∥Oboe d'amore [It., lit., oboe of love], and ∥Oboe di caccia [It., lit., oboe of the chase], are names of obsolete modifications of the oboe, often found in the scores of Bach and Handel.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

oboe, n.
1 a a woodwind double-reed instrument of treble pitch and plaintive incisive tone. b its player.
2 an organ stop with a quality resembling an oboe.

Idiom

oboe d'amore an oboe wth a pear-shaped bell and mellow tone, pitched a minor third below a normal oboe, commonly used in baroque music.

Derivative

oboist n.

Etymology

It. oboe or F hautbois f. haut high + bois wood: d'amore = of love

THESAURUS

oboe

English horn, Pandean pipe, aulos, basset horn, basset oboe, bassoon, block flute, bombard, bourdon, cello, claribel, clarinet, clarion, concert flute, contrabassoon, contrafagotto, cornet, cornopean, cromorna, cromorne, cymbel, diapason, double bassoon, double reed, dulciana, fife, fipple flute, flageolet, flute, flute stop, foundation stop, fourniture, gamba, gedeckt, gemshorn, harmonic flute, hautboy, heckelphone, hornpipe, hybrid stop, koppel flute, larigot, licorice stick, melodia, mixture, musette, mutation stop, nazard, oaten reed, oboe da caccia, ocarina, octave, organ stop, panpipe, penny-whistle, piccolo, pipe, plein jeu, pommer, posaune, principal, quint, quintaten, rank, ranket, recorder, reed, reed instrument, reed stop, register, rohr flute, sax, saxophone, sesquialtera, shawm, single reed, single-reed instrument, sonorophone, spitz flute, stop, stopped diapason, stopped flute, string diapason, string stop, sweet potato, syrinx, tabor pipe, tenoroon, tierce, tin-whistle, tremolo, trombone, trumpet, twelfth, unda maris, vibrato, viola, voix celeste, vox angelica, vox humana, whistle, woods, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind instrument

ROGET THESAURUS

oboe

Musical Instruments

N musical instruments, band, string-band, brass-band, orchestra, orchestrina, monochord, polychord, harp, lyre, lute, archlute, mandola, mandolin, mandoline, guitar, zither, cither, cithern, gittern, rebeck, bandurria, bandura, banjo, bina, vina, xanorphica, viol, violin, fiddle, kit, viola, viola d'amore, viola di gamba, tenor, cremona, violoncello, bass, bass viol, base viol, theorbo, double base, contrabasso, violone, psaltery, bow, fiddlestick, piano, pianoforte, harpsichord, clavichord, clarichord, manichord, clavier, spinet, virginals, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, vielle, pianino, Eolian harp, organ, harmonium, harmoniphon, American organ, barrel organ, hand organ, accordion, seraphina, concertina, humming top, flute, fife, piccolo, flageolet, clarinet, claronet, basset horn, corno di bassetto, oboe, hautboy, cor Anglais, corno Inglese, bassoon, double bassoon, contrafagotto, serpent, bass clarinet, bagpipes, union pipes, musette, ocarina, Pandean pipes, reed instrument, sirene, pipe, pitch-pipe, sourdet, whistle, catcall, doodlesack, harmoniphone, horn, bugle, cornet, cornet-a-pistons, cornopean, clarion, trumpet, trombone, ophicleide, French horn, saxophone, sax, buglehorn, saxhorn, flugelhorn, althorn, helicanhorn, posthorn, sackbut, euphonium, bombardon tuba, cymbal, bell, gong, tambour, tambourine, tamborine, drum, tom-tom, tabor, tabret, tabourine, taborin, side drum, kettle drum, timpani, tympani, tymbal, timbrel, castanet, bones, musical glasses, musical stones, harmonica, sounding-board, rattle, tam-tam, zambomba, reed, tuning fork, triangle, Jew's harp, musical box, harmonicon, xylophone, sordine, sordet, sourdine, sourdet, mute, (iv) PERCEPTION OF SOUND.