violin

[ vahy-uh-lin ]

/ ˌvaɪ əˈlɪn /

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See synonyms for violin on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

a violinist or part for a violin.

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Origin of violin

1570–80; <Italian violino, equivalent to viol(a) (see viola¹) + -ino diminutive suffix

Words nearby violin

violescent, violet, violet family, violet iris, violet wood, violin, violin clef, violinist, violinmaker, violin spider, violist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use violin in a sentence

He learned from Cremonese violin makers that worm damage was rare there, which made him suspect that instrument makers had developed closely-guarded recipes for staving off pests.
You might like Stradivarius violins because worms hate them|Sara Chodosh|August 18, 2021|Popular-Science
Sometimes he’d spend three to four hours a day on hold while practicing violin or browsing job ads on the internet.
How Unemployment Insurance Fraud Exploded During the Pandemic|by Cezary Podkul|July 26, 2021|ProPublica
I can’t just play them like a piano, I need to play them like a violin, where I’m coaxing, rather than pushing, the sound out of them.
We’re More of Ourselves When We’re in Tune with Others - Issue 104: Harmony|Kevin Berger|July 21, 2021|Nautilus
That’s when a mostly unknown 14-year-old violin prodigy sliced through not one, but two E strings during a particularly scorching passage of Leonard Bernstein’s sumptuous and demanding “Serenade” — under the composer’s baton no less.
Midori’s career started with a fleeting moment. It’s evolved into a lasting legacy.|Michael Andor Brodeur|May 13, 2021|Washington Post

Violin Concerto, plus his two romances for violin and orchestra, made just after the covid shutdown.
Midori’s career started with a fleeting moment. It’s evolved into a lasting legacy.|Michael Andor Brodeur|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
If a stellar-mass black hole is a violin, an IMBH is a double bass.
The Goldilocks of Black Holes|Matthew R. Francis|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Democrats will emphasize the violin stories, and they will exist, too.
Why Obamacare Could Help the Democrats in 2014|Michael Tomasky|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One hat in the Press Room is designed from black velvet with a violin perched on top of a skull cap.
Anna Piaggi's 'Hat-ology' Exhibition Opens in Milan|Liza Foreman|September 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the right, there emerged on Tuesday a universally mocking view that Russia is playing Obama like a cheap violin.
Did Obama Just Change His Luck on Syria?|Michael Tomasky|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The woman who played an omnipotent American president like her personal violin.
How Margaret Thatcher Transformed British Politics|Tunku Varadarajan|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Frulein Fichtner had already departed, but the first violinist played Mendelssohn's famous concerto for violin.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He is on the violin what Liszt is on the piano, and is the only artist worthy to be mentioned in the same breath with him.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
As soon as Oertling touched his violin I saw that he was a superior artist, and that immediately inspired me.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The Violin is an instrument which, though small and of trifling original cost, has yet commanded most extraordinary prices.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
The two most pleasing, expressive, and powerful single instruments of music are the human voice and the violin.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce

British Dictionary definitions for violin

violin

/ (ˌvaɪəˈlɪn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for violin

C16: from Italian violino a little viola, from 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

Cultural definitions for violin

violin

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

violin

Origin of violin

Words nearby violin

Words related to violin

How to use violin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for violin

Word Origin for violin

Cultural definitions for violin