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 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

Examples of violin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Produced by Kabir Sehgal, the album features contributions from musicians Subir Roy on flute, Debashis Halder on sarangi, Uday Mukherjee on tabla and percussion, Deb Sankar Roy on violin, Bhaskar Jyoti Kalita on flute, and Uditya Lahkar on percussion. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026

That led to her refreshing her skills on the violin and wanting to learn the classical repertoire written for it. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

There was little time to draw breath between art classes, violin making, and disquisitions on John Ruskin. —Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026

Michelle Wilson Trujillo plays the violin at the Mi Vida String shop. —Alan Gionet, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026

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