violin

1 of 2

noun (1)

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 4½ 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

violinist

2 of 2

noun (2)

vi·​o·​lin·​ist ˌvīəˈlinə̇st sometimes ˈvīəˌlin- or -ələ̇n- 

plural -s

: one who plays the violin

Examples of violin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The result was a tapestry of bizarro folk elegies whose combination of violin, slide guitar, and the occasional lovestruck lyric sounded like tuning into AM radio in the midst of the apocalypse. — Henry Ivry, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026

In the exclusive first-look clip above, O’Connor artfully grapples with his longing to return to music, hugging a past version of himself playing the violin as his face bleeds from a boxing injury. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026

Dolores thrived on a middle-class upbringing of Girl Scouts, violin lessons and tap dancing, describing her mother’s generosity as a guiding force. — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

The crowd chanted France's national anthem and waved flags, and some people played trumpets and violins. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

Italian violinista, from violino violin + -ista -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for violin

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• crankpin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin

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