*bass*

a. Of or pertaining to an ambassador. H. Walpole. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state, office, or functions of an ambassador. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A female ambassador; also, the wife of an ambassador. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Embassage. [ Obs. or R. ] Luke xiv. 32. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Embassy, the usual spelling. Helps. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a tall feather palm of northern Brazil (Orbignya barbosiana) with hard-shelled nuts yielding a valuable oil (
babassu oil) and a kind of vegetable ivory.
Syn. -- babassu palm, coco de macao, Orbignya phalerata, Orbignya spesiosa, Orbignya martiana. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To sound in a deep tone. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses [ A corruption of barse. ] (Zool.) 1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The common European bass is Labrax lupus. American species are: the striped bass (Roccus lineatus); white or silver bass of the lakes (Roccus chrysops); brass or yellow bass (Roccus interruptus). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is also applied to many other fishes. See Calico bass, under Calico. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ A corruption of bast. ] 1. (Bot.) The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. def>A hassock or thick mat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. basse, fr. bas low. See Base, a. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A bass, or deep, sound or tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part in a musical composition. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass. [ Written also base. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Thorough bass. See Thorough bass. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Deep or grave in tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bass clef (Mus.), the character placed at the beginning of the staff containing the bass part of a musical composition. [ See Illust. under Clef. ] --
Bass voice, a deep-sounding voice; a voice fitted for singing bass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a division of mammals, in some classifications considered a separate family.
Syn. -- subfamily Bassariscidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a genus comprising the cacomistles. See bassarisk.
Syn. -- genus Bassariscus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A raccoonlike omnivorous mammal (Bassariscus astutus) of Mexico and southwestern U. S. having a long bushy tail with black and white rings.
Syn. -- cacomistle, cacomixle, coon cat, raccoon fox, ringtail, ring-tailed cat, civet cat, miner's cat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. See Bashaw. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Mus.) The largest of the different kinds of drums, having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bassette, fr. It. bassetta. Cf. Basso. ] A game at cards, resembling the modern faro, said to have been invented at Venice. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget
Your piquet parties, and your dear basset. Rowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. OF. basset somewhat low, dim. of bas low. ] (Geol.) Inclined upward; as, the basset edge of strata. Lyell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geol.) The edge of a geological stratum at the surface of the ground; the outcrop. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Basseted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basseting. ] (Geol.) To incline upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop out; as, a vein of coal bassets. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. (Geography) The capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis. Population (2000) = 19, 000. [ PJC ]

[ See Basset, a. ] (Mus.) An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves; The corno di bassetto. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ F. basset. ] (Zool.) A small kind of hound with a long body and short legs, used as an earth dog. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The upward direction of a vein in a mine; the emergence of a stratum at the surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It., adj., somewhat low; n., counter tenor. See Basso. ] (Mus.) A tenor or small bass viol. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Mus.) A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Coarse leaf fiber from palmyra palms used in making brushes and brooms. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. bassinet, dim. of bassin. See Basin, and cf. Bascinet. ] 1. A wicker basket, with a covering or hood over one end, in which young children are placed as in a cradle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. See Bascinet. Lord Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It., fr. LL. bassus. See Base, a. ] (Mus.) (a) The bass or lowest part; as, to sing basso. (b) One who sings the lowest part. (c) The double bass, or contrabasso. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖Basso continuo [ It., bass continued. ] (Mus.) A bass part written out continuously, while the other parts of the harmony are indicated by figures attached to the bass; continued bass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. basson, fr. basse bass; or perh. fr. bas son low sound. See Bass a part in music. ] (Mus.) A wind instrument of the double reed kind, furnished with holes, which are stopped by the fingers, and by keys, as in flutes. It forms the natural bass to the oboe, clarinet, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Its compass comprehends three octaves. For convenience of carriage it is divided into two parts; whence it is also called a fagot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A performer on the bassoon. Busby. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ It. basso-rilievo. ] Same as Bas-relief. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. bassorine. ] (Chem.) A constituent part of a species of gum from Bassora, as also of gum tragacanth and some gum resins. It is one of the amyloses. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Bas-relief. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Mus.) A stringed instrument of the viol family, used for playing bass. See 3d Bass, n., and Violoncello. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) The bass (Tilia) or its wood; especially, Tilia Americana. See Bass, the lime tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

All the bowls were made of basswood,
White and polished very smoothly. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) 1. An edible, fresh-water fish of the United States, of the genus Micropterus. The small-mouthed kind is Micropterus dolomieī; the large-mouthed is Micropterus salmoides. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The sea bass. See Blackfish, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. (Zoöl.) A species of armadillo of the genus Xenurus (Xenurus unicinctus and Xenurus hispidus); the tatouay. [ Written also kabassou. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mus.) The lowest stringed instrument of the violin family; the double bass; -- also applied to any instrument of the same deep range as the stringed double bass; as, the contrabass ophicleide; the contrabass tuba or bombardon. [ 1913 Webster + Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ It. contrabasso. ] (Mus.) The largest kind of bass viol. See Violone. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ pl. Corni i basseto. [ It. ] (Mus.) A tenor clarinet; -- called also basset horn, and sometimes confounded with the English horn, which is a tenor oboe. [ 1913 Webster ]

/mhw>, n. [ F. ambassade. See Embassy. ] 1. The mission of an ambassador. [ Obs. ] Carew. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An embassy. [ Obs. ] Strype. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ambassade. See Embassy. ] An embassy. See Ambassade. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

/mhw>, n. [ See Embassador. ] 1. A minister of the highest rank sent to a foreign court to represent there his sovereign or country. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Ambassadors are either ordinary [ or resident ] or extraordinary, that is, sent upon some special or unusual occasion or errand. Abbott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An official messenger and representative. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ambassadeur, Sp. embajador, LL. ambassiator, ambasciator. See Embassy, and cf. Ambassador. ] Same as Ambassador. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stilbon, that was a wise embassadour,
Was sent to Corinth. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Myself my king's embassador will go. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. ambassadorial. ] Same as Ambassadorial. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. ambassadrice. ] Same as Ambassadress. [ 1913 Webster ]