theorbo means A baroque, double-necked lute having an extra set of open bass strings. It carries an Arena rating of 1528, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, theorbo ranks #1,967 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,187 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,249 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #3,774 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
theorbo is pronounced /θiˈɔɹ.boʊ/.
Why “theorbo” is a great word
A large, double-necked lute of the baroque era, characterized by an extended second pegbox and a set of long, unstopped bass strings for harmonic and rhythmic foundation. Its name descends from the Venetian *tiorba*, a variant of *tuorba* meaning "traveling bag," itself from the Ottoman Turkish *torba* ("bag, sack"); it entered English usage around the turn of the seventeenth century. Unlike the intimate, single-necked **lute** or the monumental **chitarrone**, the theorbo is the ensemble's anchoring voice, its deep, resonant courses providing the architectural ground upon which harmonies are built. It is the plucked thrum that underpins a lament, the resonant decay lingering in the vault of a chapel, the deliberate, walking bass that guides a courtly dance—a reminder that foundation is often the most profound form of accompaniment.
Etymology
From Italian tiorba, from Ottoman Turkish طوربه (torba).
noun
- A baroque, double-necked lute having an extra set of open bass strings.e.g.“So when they said yea to this, he called to him his player on the theorbo and his player on the hautboy, and commanded them saying, “Play me a solemn music.”” — 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 31:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- chitarrone 70% match — Synonym of theorbo. vs theorbo →
- theorbist 69% match — Someone who plays a theorbo. vs theorbo →
- archlute 69% match — A fretted and double-necked stringed musical instrument with a large body, double courses in the bass, and two sets of tuning pegs. vs theorbo →
- barbitos 63% match — An ancient stringed musical instrument from Greece, apparently a type of lute or lyre. vs theorbo →
- bandore 61% match — A historical stringed instrument similar in form to a guitar; a pandore. vs theorbo →
- barbat 60% match — An ancient Persian plucked lute with a pear-shaped body, a flat belly, an angled back near the pegbox, and a fretless neck. vs theorbo →
- angélique 59% match — A plucked bowl lute with two necks and most often sixteen strings, played in the manner of a harp, and popular in Baroque Europe. vs theorbo →
- violone 59% match — An early stringed instrument similar to a double bass. vs theorbo →