violin

noun

vi·​o·​lin ˌvī-ə-ˈlin 

: a bowed stringed instrument having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth and a usual range from G below middle C upward for more than 4¹/₂ octaves and having a shallow body, shoulders at right angles to the neck, a fingerboard without frets, and a curved bridge

violinist

ˌvī-ə-ˈli-nist 

noun

violinistic

ˌvī-ə-lə-ˈni-stik 

adjective

Illustration of violin

• 1 bridge
• 2 sound hole
• 3 soundboard
• 4 fingerboard
• 5 pegs
• 6 scroll
• 7 tailpiece
• g G-string
• d D-string
• a A-string
• e E-string

Examples of violin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One particularly striking shot was captured by Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed in the city of Halabja, Iraq, which featured the silhouette of a man playing the violin on a hillside, framed by the rising form of the full moon. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 11 June 2025

Steve Morris and Marianne Haynes played violin, Triona Milne was on the viola, Chris Allen was the celloist, Kat Tinker was the pianist, Tommy Emmerton provided guitar, Chris Hill played the bass, and Ralph Salmins was on drums. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 June 2025

Much like Nero who played the violin while Rome burned, Trump is playing the Worldwide War of Tariffs game, never played before by any of his predecessors. —Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2025

The 'world's smallest violin' created by Loughborough University physicists. —Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian violino, from viola "viola, viol" + -ino, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for violin

• aneurin
• crystallin
• eosin
• mandolin
• porphyrin
• underpin
• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin
• foreskin

Kids Definition

violin

noun

vi·​o·​lin ˌvī-ə-ˈlin 

1

: a stringed musical instrument with four strings that is usually held against the shoulder under the chin and played with a bow

2

: violinist