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bourdon

 - 2 dictionary results

bour⋅don

[boor-dn, bawr-, bohr-]
–noun Music.
1.
a. the drone pipe of a bagpipe.
b. the drone string of a stringed instrument.
2. a low-pitched tone; bass.
3. a pipe organ stop of very low pitch.
4. the bell in a carillon having the lowest pitch.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < MF; see burden 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bour·don   (bŏŏr'dn)   
n.  
  1. The drone pipe of a bagpipe.

  2. The bass string, as of a violin.

  3. An organ stop, commonly of the 16-foot pipes, medium in scale but with dark timbre.


[Middle English burdoun, bass, from Old French bourdon.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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