violin

American  

[vahy-uh-lin] / ˌvaɪ əˈlɪn /

noun

violins plural

1. the treble instrument of the family of modern bowed instruments, held nearly horizontal by the player's arm with the lower part supported against the collarbone or shoulder.

2. a violinist or part for a violin.

---

violin British  

/ ˌvaɪəˈlɪn /

noun

1. a bowed stringed instrument, the highest member of the violin family, consisting of a fingerboard, a hollow wooden body with waisted sides, and a sounding board connected to the back by means of a soundpost that also supports the bridge. It has two f-shaped sound holes cut in the belly. The instrument, noted for its fine and flexible tone, is the most important of the stringed instruments. It is held under the chin when played. Range: roughly three and a half octaves upwards from G below middle C

---

violin Cultural  

1. The most familiar and highest-pitched instrument of the strings. A typical symphony orchestra has more than two dozen violinists.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• violins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violin

1570–80; < Italian violino, equivalent to viol ( a ) ( see viola ¹) + -ino diminutive suffix

Explanation

Violin is the formal word for a fiddle — a stringed instrument that's held to a player's neck and played with a bow. Nearly every string quartet includes at least one violin. The word violin comes from viola, from the Italian viola da braccio, which was a popular medieval instrument. The earliest violins had only three strings, while modern instruments have four. Starting around the 16th century, the violin became a very popular instrument, particularly among nobles. Most violins are built from maple wood, and their strings are made of dried animal gut or steel and are sometimes plated with silver.

Example Sentences

Occasionally Mr. Paul’s violin swoons and shrieks in a manner we associate with the instrument, but he’s just as likely to use it as a starting point for an electronic drone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Music: A trio of violin, string bass and accordion played Presley’s No. 1 hit “Love Me Tender”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

He handles a violin and a sniper’s rifle with equal dexterity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

It is a riff on the Prelude from Bach’s Partita No. 3 for solo violin, the first music heard in the late architect’s Walt Disney Concert Hall while still under construction.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Very softly, the Old-Green-Grasshopper started to play the Funeral March on his violin, and by the time he had finished, everyone, including himself, was in a flood of tears.

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• fiddle