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• viola
  viola

  noun

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

  noun

  a female given name.

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  

/ 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 ² 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 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; see viol

Origin of viola²

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

Explanation

A viola is a string instrument that's played with a bow. Along with violins and a cello, there's usually a viola in a string quartet. A viola is almost identical to a violin — it's just larger, with a slightly deeper, more mellow sound. Violas, like violins, are played by holding them beneath your chin, putting your fingers on the strings to form notes, and pulling the bow across them. The name comes from viol, a Renaissance instrument, which may stem from Vitula, the Roman goddess of joy. The flower known as a viola is more commonly called a violet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

viola Viola

Since leaving Kherson, she has not even taken her viola out of its case.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Harpsichord and viola da gamba act as soloists as well as continuo; a modern lute song is a lullaby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

The viola version is stunningly beautiful yet never recorded and remains practically unknown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

A few hermit crab species are quite valuable, such as the brightly colored blueberry hermit crabs and viola hermit crabs that live in Okinawa.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

I hand him the viola and start rosining the bow.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

The Liuzzo family learned of Viola Liuzzo’s death in the middle of the night, after the local sheriff’s office called them with the news.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

That’s how Johnson came to own 2.5% of Sandman; his co-owners include entrepreneur and prolific racehorse owner Leonard C. Green and Vincent Viola, owner of the Florida Panthers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

“The Tristan Project” — created by video artist Bill Viola, director Peter Sellars and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney in 2004 — magnifies the rituals of life and death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

Prosecutor Marcello Viola, the lead investigator, said the impact between the tram and the building was "devastating".

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

Viola and Hildy are up ahead still, Viola’s eyes wide and her mouth gulping like a fish.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness