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Where does the word "oboe" come from? It comes from French hautbois, passing through Italian before entering English (1730s).
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Where does the word "oboe" come from? It comes from French hautbois, passing through Italian before entering English (1730s).
Oboe’s story begins in French: hautbois meant “high wood.” Literally high wood, from haut (high) and bois (wood). By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Italian as oboe. Reshaped phonetically in Italian for the double-reed woodwind instrument. It reached English by 1730s as oboe. Settled as the English word for the double-reed woodwind instrument. Today, oboe means a woodwind instrument played with a double reed, known for its piercing tone.
- Stage 1 · French · 1500s hautbois "high wood", literally high wood, from haut (high) and bois (wood).
- Stage 2 · Italian · 1700s oboe "a double-reed woodwind instrument", reshaped phonetically in Italian for the double-reed woodwind instrument.
- Stage 3 · English · 1730s oboe "a double-reed woodwind instrument", settled as the English word for the double-reed woodwind instrument.