viola

¹ American  

[vee-oh-luh] / viˈoʊ lə /

noun

1. a four-stringed musical instrument of the violin family, slightly larger than the violin; a tenor or alto violin.

2. a labial organ stop of eight-foot or four-foot pitch, giving tones of a penetrating stringlike quality.

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viola ² American  

[vahy-oh-luh, vee-, vahy-uh-] / vaɪˈoʊ lə, vi-, ˈvaɪ ə- /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Viola, especially a cultivated variety.

2. a pansy, V. cornuta, cultivated as a garden plant.

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Viola ³ American  

[vahy-oh-luh, vee-, vahy-uh-] / vaɪˈoʊ lə, vi-, ˈvaɪ ə- /

noun

1. a female given name.

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viola ¹ British  

/ vɪˈəʊlə /

noun

1. a bowed stringed instrument, the alto of the violin family; held beneath the chin when played. It is pitched and tuned an octave above the cello

2. any of various instruments of the viol family, such as the viola da gamba

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viola ² British  

/ ˈvaɪələ, vaɪˈəʊ- /

noun

1. any temperate perennial herbaceous plant of the violaceous genus Viola, the flowers of which have showy irregular petals, white, yellow, blue, or mauve in colour See also violet pansy

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viola Cultural  

1. A musical instrument shaped like a violin but somewhat larger, lower pitched, and “darker” in tone. A viola player holds a viola like a violin, under the chin.

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Etymology

Origin of viola¹

1715–25; < Italian viola < Old Provençal viola; viol

Origin of viola¹

1400–50; late Middle English: violet < Latin: violet

Example Sentences

But falling between the violin’s soaring brilliance and the cello’s corporeality, the viola also signifies transition.

From Los Angeles Times

That was apparent from the Second’s opening notes, in which trembling violins and violas sound as if startled awake, ushering in cellos and basses who have begun moving the furniture.

From Los Angeles Times

He’d later gently admonish a request for the Velvet Underground’s “Venus In Furs,” explaining that there was no way he could play it without a viola.

From Salon

The very, very quiet violas, cellos and basses opening Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony had a soul-filling robustness that even the best headphones couldn’t match.

From Los Angeles Times

The violins and violas had to be saved.

From Los Angeles Times