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

During my first psychedelic session, a violin flourish turned the sky yellow. —Erica Rex, STAT, 19 Feb. 2026

To close out the special affair, guests were treated to a surprise violin performance by soloist Mikaila Gaffey. —Avon Dorsey, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026

Stadia builds its sound with the conventional guitars, drums and bass but also harp and violin. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026

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

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