: 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
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In the sunroom, a boy played concertos on the violin, signalling that this was not an ordinary weekday lunch.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
3 July 2026 Taking a cue from nickelodeon piano players, composer John Powell steers the mood with a vibrantly eclectic score of sprightly ragtime, violin pathos and popcorn crescendos.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026 After cycling through erratic gigs—bus driver, garbage collector, violin maker—his carpentry skills landed him a job on an expedition vessel in Antarctica from 2006 to 2010.—
Richard Morgan,
Time,
29 June 2026 But the violin won’t be easy to steal – also because Maya is not superstitious.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for violin
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Italian violino, from viola "viola, viol" + -ino, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -īnus-ine entry 1