viol

[ vahy-uhl ]

/ ˈvaɪ əl /

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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. 2023

How to use viol in a sentence

So the angels gave the lad white wings like their own, and a great viol like a jongleur's.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
The sound of the viol is again heard, and the merry dance is kept up till near morning light.
Charles Duran|The Author of The Waldos
I doubt if you can play the Dead March on a bass-viol, and I'm morally certain you can't play it and walk with it too.
Wandering Heath|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Pillsbury played the bass viol, and once a week or so he and Penny got together and spent an entranced hour.
Left Tackle Thayer|Ralph Henry Barbour

Tabret and viol jangle harshly in the ears that have rioted in melodies made by fairy harpers.
Sword and Gown|George A. Lawrence

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