violin

[ vahy-uh-lin ]

noun

1. the treble instrument of the family of modern bowed instruments, held nearly horizontal by the player's arm with the lower part supported against the collarbone or shoulder.
2. a violinist or part for a violin.

violin

/ ˌvaɪəˈlɪn /

noun

1. a bowed stringed instrument, the highest member of the violin family, consisting of a fingerboard, a hollow wooden body with waisted sides, and a sounding board connected to the back by means of a soundpost that also supports the bridge. It has two f-shaped sound holes cut in the belly. The instrument, noted for its fine and flexible tone, is the most important of the stringed instruments. It is held under the chin when played. Range: roughly three and a half octaves upwards from G below middle C

violin

1. The most familiar and highest-pitched instrument of the strings . A typical symphony orchestra has more than two dozen violinists.

Word History and Origins

Origin of violin¹

1570–80; < Italian violino, equivalent to viol ( a ) ( viola ¹ ) + -ino diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of violin¹

C16: from Italian violino a little viola, from viola ¹

Example Sentences

When the blood really starts hitting the fan, Göransson asked his wife and a string orchestra to help escalate the drama, and he had violins bend notes just like his slide guitar.

From Los Angeles Times

“For a family to pay $25 a month to rent a violin or take responsibility for a $2,000 tuba, it’s not going to happen for most students, right?” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Cypress Hill even performs “Cuban Necktie,” a relentless song that gets even more intense with violins carrying B-Real’s cadence between bars.

From Los Angeles Times

And so it began: Mr. Ayers with a violin that was missing two strings, trying to get back on track three decades after illness forced him out of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School.

From Los Angeles Times

But in the world of music, it’s like, “This violin is 100 years old. This piano is 200 years old.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fiddle