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

As a hobby, Lizaola plays the violin. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

In addition to her music career, Stirling partnered with Yamaha in 2021 to release a custom violin called the Crystallize, named after her first viral YouTube video. —Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

There are Afrobeat vibes, tropical vibes, different types of guitars, violins. —Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 25 Nov. 2025

Each boy would wake up on his fourteenth birthday to find that his instrument—piano, violin, veena—had vanished from the house. —Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 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