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viol

[ vahy-uhl ]
/ ˈvaɪ əl /

noun

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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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 viola1 (perhaps imitative)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH viol

vial, vile, viol

Words nearby viol

vinylidene resin, Vinylite, vinyl polymer, vinyl resin, vinylstyrene, viol, viola, violable, violaceous, viola clef, viola da braccio
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for viol

British Dictionary definitions for viol

viol
/ (ˈvaɪəl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for viol

C15: from Old French viole, from Old Provençal viola; see viola 1
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