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oboe

The origin and history of oboe.

Etymology

Adopted into English around 1770 from Italian oboe, itself a spelling of the French hautbois ("high wood") — from haut ("high, loud") + bois ("wood").

Origin: French · First attested 1770

Class of 1770

oboe first entered the language around 1770. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 1770 →
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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.