Violin meaning

vī'ə-lĭn'
Designating the modern family of stringed instruments played with a bow, characterized by four strings tuned in fifths, a lack of frets, a somewhat rounded back, and f-shaped sound holes.
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A stringed instrument played with a bow, having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth, an unfretted fingerboard, and a shallower body than the viol and capable of great flexibility in range, tone, and dynamics.
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The smallest and highest-pitched instrument of this family, held horizontally under the chin, resting against the collarbone; fiddle.
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(music) A musical four-string instrument, generally played with a bow or by plucking the string. Pitch is set by pressing the strings at the appropriate place with the fingers.
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(music) A violinist.

The first violin often plays the lead melody lines in a string quartet.

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Origin of violin

  • Italian violino diminutive of viola viola viola1
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • From Italian violino, diminutive form of viola with diminutive suffix -ino
    From Wiktionary

Violin Sentence Examples

  • Thus there was quite as much important solo music for the flute as for the violin; and almost more music for the viola da gamba than for the violoncello.

  • He was good enough with the violin now.

  • But this system is practicable only by the voice and instruments of the violin class.

  • The violin string is first drawn on one side.

  • Each instrument--now resembling a violin and now a horn, but better and clearer than violin or horn--played its own part, and before it had finished the melody merged with another instrument that began almost the same air, and then with a third and a fourth; and they all blended into one and again became separate and again blended, now into solemn church music, now into something dazzlingly brilliant and triumphant.

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