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bourdon

[ boor-dn, bawr-, bohr- ]

noun

, Music.
    1. the drone pipe of a bagpipe.
    2. the drone string of a stringed instrument.
  1. a low-pitched tone; bass.
  2. a pipe organ stop of very low pitch.
  3. the bell in a carillon having the lowest pitch.


bourdon

/ ˈbɔːdən; ˈbʊədən /

noun

  1. a 16-foot organ stop of the stopped diapason type
  2. the drone of a bagpipe
  3. a drone or pedal point in the bass of a harmonized melody
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of bourdon1

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French; burden 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bourdon1

C14: from Old French: drone (of a musical instrument), of imitative origin
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Example Sentences

Worcester Cathedral's bourdon bell was similarly struck 99 times in honour of the duke.

From BBC

“I will miss the bourdon Emmanuel chiming the twelve coups de minuit” — the stroke of midnight — “so loud and solemn, which can be heard eight miles away.”

The so-called “bourdon”, the largest bell, goes by the name of “Emmanuel”.

From Reuters

At the cathedral, the coffin was brought into the vast chamber and a bourdon bell tolled.

They will all be tuned to the great bourdon bell Emmanuel.

From BBC

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BourbonsBourdon gauge