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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

Viola Davis provides mellifluous narration; giving voice to Du Bois in the reading of his letters and literature are the rapper-activist Common and the actors Jeffrey Wright and Courtney B. Vance.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Each morning when 11-year-old Tulliaq and seven-year-old Viola arrive, they put their phones in a box.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Viola, a 60-year-old visitor from Brooklyn, New York, says she enjoys gim as a snack.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Morgan Stanley based its estimate on the damage caused to the economy in 2021 due to a similarly severe storm called Viola.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

“Ida B, don’t pay him any mind,” Viola told me.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan