Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A large, valved, brass instrument with a bass pitch.
- noun A reed stop in an organ, having eight-foot pitch.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An ancient Roman trumpet with a straight tube of metal, like the Greek salpinx.
- noun In the Philippine Islands, Guam, and the west coast of Mexico, the sap obtained from the immature inflorescence of the coconut, which is allowed to ferment and is used as a beverage, and from which a distilled liquor called
vino , or aguardiente, is obtained. - noun In the peninsula of Malacca and the Malay Archipelago, a name applied to a number of fish-intoxicants, especially to Deguelia elliptica, and in the Philippine Islands to Croton Tiglium, Jatropha Curcas, and Cocculus Cocculus, used for the same purpose.
- noun A musical instrument of the trumpet family, of very large size and low pitch.
- noun In organ-building, a reed-stop of large scale, so connected with a separate bellows with extra weights that the tones are of exceptional power and majesty. Usually called
tuba mirabilis . - noun In anatomy and zoül, a tube or tubular part or organ; specifically, the Eustachian tube, or salpinx. See
hydra tuba (under hydra), and cut underscyphistoma .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun An ancient trumpet.
- noun A sax-tuba. See
sax-tuba .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A large
brass musical instrument , usually in thebass range, played through a vibration of the lips upon themouthpiece and fingering of the keys.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the lowest brass wind instrument
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In the interest of alcoholic comprehensiveness, "tuba" is also the Philippine name for fermented palm tree sap, which can either be made into a wine-like beverage or soured into vinegar.
Archive 2008-09-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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In the interest of alcoholic comprehensiveness, "tuba" is also the Philippine name for fermented palm tree sap, which can either be made into a wine-like beverage or soured into vinegar.
Wide-mouth glass Matthew Guerrieri 2008
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A cursed tuba from the Titanic is this episode’s Maguffin, plus Roxy and her succubi return.
The Middleman: The Complete Series » DVDs Worth Watching 2009
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A tuba is a weak, puny thing fit only for mewling, puking babes and Guy Lombardo -- the better to harass balding, middle-aged dancers.
Archive 2008-12-01 1 Dinosaur 2008
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A tuba is a weak, puny thing fit only for mewling, puking babes and Guy Lombardo -- the better to harass balding, middle-aged dancers.
The Unbearable Lowness of Brass 1 Dinosaur 2008
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Or an entire band jammed in a phone booth to call the tuba player who had to stay at home with his lip in a cast.
The Ties That Bind...And Gag! Bombeck, Erma 1987
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It is called tuba, and is liked by all the soldiers.
A Soldier in the Philippines Needom N. Freeman
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Like the coco and following the same process the nipa yields a liquid also called tuba and possessing properties identical with those of the former plant.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines Jerome Beers Thomas 1891
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The poison which stupefies or even kills the fish, without making it unfit for food, is secured from the root of a plant called tuba and described to me as being a vine.
Through Central Borneo; an Account of Two Years' Travel in the Land of Head-Hunters Between the Years 1913 and 1917 Carl Lumholtz 1886
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They steep the root of a certain climbing plant, called tuba, of strong narcotic qualities, in the water where the fish are observed, which produces such an effect that they become intoxicated and to appearance dead, float on the surface of the water, and are taken with the hand.
The History of Sumatra Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And Manners Of The Native Inhabitants William Marsden 1795
oroboros commented on the word tuba
Abut in reverse.
July 22, 2007
hernesheir commented on the word tuba
The previous comment for this word gave me ophicleidic for my list of Adjcectival Arcana.
July 12, 2010
hernesheir commented on the word tuba
Well then - tuba, or not tuba: that is the question. I aver this Shakespearean question is answered with a resounding "YES" judging from the various octubafest celebrations around the US. Am I correct that octubafest celebrations began at Indiana University's music school?
July 12, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word tuba
Here's another spin (if you will) on tuba vs. not tuba - I think tornadoes have been associated with clouds called tuba (maybe Cumulonimbus tuba), but now those clouds are called funnel clouds.
Edit: Maybe tuba clouds can indicate that a funnel cloud might be forming without being funnel clouds themselves... they might not be the same thing at all - do any of my fellow wordniks know?
July 12, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word tuba
"3. n. In the peninsula of Malacca and the Malay Archipelago, a name applied to a number of fish-intoxicants, especially to Deguelia elliptica, and in the Philippine Islands to Croton Tiglium, Jatropha Curcas, and Cocculus Cocculus, used for the same purpose."
--CD&C
December 9, 2011