any of a family of stringed musical instruments that preceded the violin family, consisting of a fretted fingerboard, a body rather like that of a violin but having a flat back and six strings, played with a curved bow. They are held between the knees when played and have a quiet yet penetrating tone; they were much played, esp in consorts, in the 16th and 17th centuries
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
vi•ol
(vī′əl),USA pronunciation n.
- Music and Dancea bowed musical instrument, differing from the violin in having deeper ribs, sloping shoulders, a greater number of strings, usually six, and frets: common in the 16th and 17th centuries in various sizes from the treble viol to the bass viol.
- Old Provencal viola, derivative of violar to play the viola1 (perh. imitative)
- Middle French viole (akin to Old French viel(l)e
earlier English viele) - 1475–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'viol' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bass viol
- bassist
- bow
- bowstring
- descant
- double bass
- fiddle
- fret
- orchestra
- stringholder
- tailpiece
- viola
- viola d'amore
- viola da braccio
- viola da gamba
- violate
- violescent
- violin
- violist
- violone