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.

Viola

²

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

noun

1. a female given name.

viola

³

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

noun

1. any plant of the genus Viola, especially a cultivated variety.

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

viola

¹

/ 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

viola

²

/ 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

viola

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of viola¹

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

Origin of viola²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of viola¹

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

Origin of viola²

C15: from Latin: violet

Example Sentences

But falling between the violin’s soaring brilliance and the cello’s corporeality, the viola also signifies transition.

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That was apparent from the Second’s opening notes, in which trembling violins and violas sound as if startled awake, ushering in cellos and basses who have begun moving the furniture.

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He’d later gently admonish a request for the Velvet Underground’s “Venus In Furs,” explaining that there was no way he could play it without a viola.

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The very, very quiet violas, cellos and basses opening Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony had a soul-filling robustness that even the best headphones couldn’t match.

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The violins and violas had to be saved.

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