octobass means A very large bass requiring two musicians, one to finger and one to bow. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.
Why “octobass” is a great word
OCTOBASS — [Noun] A gargantuan, rare bowed string instrument tuned an octave below the double bass, demanding two musicians for its operation. Its name is a compound of octo- (from Latin octō, meaning "eight", referring to its range an octave lower) and bass (from Italian basso, meaning "low"). Formed within English, modelled on French octobasse. First built around 1850 in Paris by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. Unlike the "double bass" (a standard orchestral foundation played solo) or the "contrabassoon" (a woodwind supplying the orchestra's deepest woodwind voice), the octobass is a chordophone colossus. It is the vibration felt in the floorboards before it is heard by the ear, the sight of a player navigating a mammoth fingerboard while a partner works its system of levers, and the palpable, humid warmth of air moved by strings as thick as a child's wrist—a profound monument to the human desire to map the very borders of audible space.
Etymology
From octo- + bass.
The name "octobass" comes from "octo-" meaning "eight" in Latin and "-bass", which is general name for any bass instrument (like "double bass", "contrabass" etc.). "Octo" is used because its range extending more than an octave below that of the double bass - it is tuned to A0, compared to the C1 that a double bass can stretch to, which makes octobass the lowest chordophone ever created.
noun
- A very large bass requiring two musicians, one to finger and one to bow.