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violin

violin

191 1.8
A small wooden instrument that you play with a bow to make high musical sounds
  • noun
  • /vaɪəˈlɪn/
: violín
  • Inside the trailer, Julie's three students plucked at violin strings, tuning their instruments.
  • play the violin
  • violin and piano
  • violin concerto

And, and they handed him the violin when he was six weeks old.

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Examples

  • At the first sounds of the violin, he finds himself drawn into a new reverie.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • And you brought your violin.

  • Is my violin here somewhere in the room?

  • I still play, but Peter has never picked up a violin since we left Germany.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I played the piano, he played the violin, and we would always have to perform.

  • Well, guess who's getting violin lessons.

  • Slowly, the music of the violin faded away and became part of the silence.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • If I knew how to play the violin, I would spend my afternoons fiddling.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I could hear the plaintive sound of a violin concerto playing softly on his stereo.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She practiced the violin for two hours every day to prepare for the concert.

Synonyms

instrument
vsviolin
269 1.9

An object like a piano or violin that makes musical sounds

is a specific bowed four string example with the highest pitch in its family
fiddle
vsviolin
42 4.7

A small violin used in folk music

is the same instrument but an alternative name
stringed instrument
vsviolin
  • Specialized
6 2.9

A musical instrument that makes sound when its strings are played, like a guitar or violin

is narrower, naming one bowed four string high pitched member
1 5.7

A string instrument played with a bow, like a violin

is a specific high pitched member of that group

Idioms

2 9.0

To trick someone easily so you can get what you want

1 9.4

To pretend to feel sorry for someone with small problems

Compounds

A time when someone teaches you to play the violin

2 4.0

A thin curved stick with horsehair used to play the violin by drawing it across the strings

2 3.8

A person who makes or fixes violins

A group of musicians in an orchestra who play violins

A group of string instruments played with a bow, like the violin, viola, cello, and double bass

How High-Pitched

violin
191 1.8
viola
13 5.1
cello
57 3.9
double bass
3 3.6

Surface Forms

violin singular
violins plural

Etymology

The word violin comes from the Italian violino, a 'little' form of viola, because the Italian -ino means 'small'. So a violin is literally a 'small viola', which helps explain why it is the smaller, higher instrument in the string family.