viol

American  

[vahy-uhl] / ˈvaɪ əl /

noun

1. a bowed musical instrument, differing from the violin in having deeper ribs, sloping shoulders, a greater number of strings, usually six, and frets: common in the 16th and 17th centuries in various sizes from the treble viol to the bass viol.

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viol British  

/ ˈvaɪəl /

noun

1. any of a family of stringed musical instruments that preceded the violin family, consisting of a fretted fingerboard, a body rather like that of a violin but having a flat back and six strings, played with a curved bow. They are held between the knees when played and have a quiet yet penetrating tone; they were much played, esp in consorts, in the 16th and 17th centuries

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Etymology

Origin of viol

1475–85; < Middle French viole (akin to Old French viel ( l ) e > earlier English viele ) < Old Provençal viola, derivative of violar to play the viola ¹ (perhaps imitative)

Example Sentences

Of the video, Sulkowicz writes: Ceci N’est Pas Un Viol is not about one night in August, 2012.

From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2015

The video called Ceci N’est Pas Un Viol, French for “This Is Not a Rape”, is hosted on a website created by Emma Sulkowicz.

From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2015

Sample: Ich weiss 'nen H�gel, wo man Quendel pfl�ckt, Wo aus dem Gras Viol 'und Masslieb nickt.

From Time Magazine Archive

In turning over my late friend Ferrier’s commonplace book, I find three poems from Viol and Flute copied out in his hand: “When Flower-time,” “Love in Winter,” and “Mistrust.”

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 24 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

A Viol da Gamba of this maker is at the Conservatoire, Paris.

From The Violin Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators by Hart, George