Main Entry:

vi·ol

Pronunciation:

\ˈvī(-ə)l, ˈvī-(ˌ)ōl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English vial, from Anglo-French viele, viole, from Old Occitan viola

Date:

15th century

: a bowed stringed instrument chiefly of the 16th and 17th centuries made in treble, alto, tenor, and bass sizes and distinguished from members of the violin family especially in having a deep body, a flat back, sloping shoulders, usually six strings, a fretted fingerboard, and a low-arched bridge