h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The reason for a trombone being blown at judgement day, in my opinion, is not the connotation with sacral music, but a similarity in vocabular: The German word for the trombone, Posaune, also is used for the horn-like wind instruments, that helped to "blow down" the walls of Jericho in the bible. I think that this instument will be blown (if any, but thats a question of religion) at the end of the Universe (or is there a brass band mentioned in The Restaurant at the End of The World?).

What does the word Posaune derive from? The English word trombone comes from Italian where it literally means "big trumpet" (tromba + -one). A big trumpet would be a reasonable instrument for blowing down walls or announcing the End of the World. But trombone in English has come to be associated with the slide instrument. Does Posaune come from a word mean big?

The instrument the Jews used to knock down the walls of Jericho is usually called the Ram's Horn in English, but sometimes by its Hebrew name, the Shofar.

Actually, I am not familiar with the offspring of the word Posaune. But I dont think - perhaps Im wrong - it has something to do with a word for big.