violin

American  

[vahy-uh-lin] / ˌvaɪ əˈlɪn /

noun

• violins
  plural

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.

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violin British  

/ 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

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violin Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• violins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violin

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

Explanation

Violin is the formal word for a fiddle — a stringed instrument that's held to a player's neck and played with a bow. Nearly every string quartet includes at least one violin. The word violin comes from viola, from the Italian viola da braccio, which was a popular medieval instrument. The earliest violins had only three strings, while modern instruments have four. Starting around the 16th century, the violin became a very popular instrument, particularly among nobles. Most violins are built from maple wood, and their strings are made of dried animal gut or steel and are sometimes plated with silver.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

violin violins

In another official building across town, violin notes mixed with air raid sirens.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Instead, she just fits it in when she can between piano and violin lessons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

When he was 20, he left to play violin and conduct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

The National Symphony commissioned symphonies from Roy Harris and William Schuman as well as Alan Hovhaness’ “Ode to Freedom,” a lovely short violin concerto written for Yehudi Menuhin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

“I get to keep Mr. Van Hooten as my violin teacher!” exclaimed Isa.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

There’s “White Hot Coal,” a pensive, acoustic folk rocker with violins as the ghost of an accordion.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

At an early rehearsal he told the kids, some playing cardboard violins, that if they practice hard enough he promised he would bring them to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

And if you hear trembling violins and thrumming cellos, you might lapse into a vision of storm-whipped waves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Cue the violins, because after Jerome Powell’s swan song Fed rate meeting, it’s his final two weeks in the hot seat.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

The violins are hundreds of shimmering gold lights, the horns are cubes of green, and the drums are a bright aqua blue.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

• fiddle