n.1 a a woodwind double-reed instrument of treble pitch and plaintive incisive tone. b its player.
2 an organ stop with a quality resembling an oboe.
Phrases and idioms:
oboe d'amore an oboe wth a pear-shaped bell and mellow tone, pitched a minor third below a normal oboe, commonly used in baroque music.
Derivatives:
oboist n.
Etymology: It. oboe or F hautbois f. haut high + bois wood: d'amore of love