violin

Definition

A small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin and played with a bow.

Etymology

From Italian violino (“little viola”), from viola + -ino (forming diminutives).

Example Sentences

• "When I play it like this, it's a fiddle; when I play it like this, it's a violin."
• "She was looking more like Sherlock Holmes than ever. Slap a dressing-gown on her and give her a violin, and she could have walked straight into Baker Street and no questions asked."
• "The string quartet, one of the most popular groupings in chamber music, is composed entirely of violins: two violins proper, one viola, and one cello."

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