viola

1
[ vee-oh-luh ]

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.

Origin of viola

1
1715–25; <Italian viola<Old Provençal viola;see viol

Words that may be confused with viola

Words Nearby viola

Other definitions for viola (2 of 3)

viola2
[ vahy-oh-luh, vee-, vahy-uh- ]

noun
  1. any plant of the genus Viola, especially a cultivated variety.: Compare pansy (def. 1), violet (defs. 1, 2).

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

Origin of viola

2
1400–50; late Middle English: violet &lt;Latin: violet

Other definitions for Viola (3 of 3)

Viola
[ vahy-oh-luh, vee-, vahy-uh- ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use viola in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for viola (1 of 2)

viola1

/ (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

Origin of viola

1
C18: from Italian viola, probably from Old Provençal viola, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Latin vītulārī to rejoice

British Dictionary definitions for viola (2 of 2)

viola2

/ (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 (def. 1), pansy (def. 1)

Origin of viola

2
C15: from Latin: violet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for viola

viola

[ (vee-oh-luh) ]


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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.