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.

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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

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violin Cultural  

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

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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

In Yie-Eun Chun’s spritely Violin Concerto, which was commissioned by the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

This time around, the symphony will be performed along with Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto featuring Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2025

Alongside Eddy Chen and Brett Yang, fans of TwoSet Violin have been inspired by a fictional musician the duo have created, called Ling Ling.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2023

As it happened, a vivacious account of Barber’s Violin Concerto followed.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2023

He inquired as to its Contents & opened it, his Violin.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• fiddle