viol
/ˈvaɪ.əl/
viol noun: a stringed instrument related to the violin family, but held in the lap between the legs like a cello, usually with C-holes, a flat back, a fretted neck and six strings, played with an underhanded bow hold.
Noun
viol (plural viols)
- A stringed instrument related to the violin family, but held in the lap between the legs like a cello, usually with C-holes, a flat back, a fretted neck and six strings, played with an underhanded bow hold.
- He sayd that yᵉ ground opened, and he was brought into strange places underground, where they used musicall Instruments, violls, and Lutes, such (he sayd) as Mr. Thomas did play on.1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 30
- Synonyms:
- viola d'amore, viola da gamba, gamba, gambo
- A large rope used to manipulate the anchor
Verb
viol (third-person singular simple present viols, present participle (US) violing or (UK) violling, simple past and past participle (US) violed or (UK) violled)
- To play the viol.
- “Keep your gold for those who lack it, mistress,” said Henry, “and do not offer to honest hands the money that is won by violing, and tabouring, and toetripping, and perhaps worse pastimes.1828 May 15, [Walter Scott], Chronicles of the Canongate. Second Series. […] (The Fair Maid of Perth), volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Co.] for Cadell and...
- Through snowy woods and shady / We went to play a tune / To the lonely manor-lady / By the light of the Christmas moon. / We violed till, upward glancing / To where a mirror leaned, / It showed her airily dancing […]1914, Thomas Hardy, Seen by the Waits
viol meaning in Urdu
viol in Urdu
- کمانچہ
Synonyms of viol
Forms of viol
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | viols |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | viols |
| present participle US | violing |
| present participle UK | violling |
| past participle US | violed |
| past US | violed |
| past participle UK | violled |
| past UK | violled |
Origin of viol
Borrowed from Middle French viole, from Old French viol, from Old Occitan viola (modern Occitan viula), from Medieval Latin vitula (“stringed instrument”). Doublet of viola.
Words formed from viol
Phrases with viol
Words that rhyme with viol
Questions about viol
- What does viol mean?
- Viol means a stringed instrument related to the violin family, but held in the lap between the legs like a cello, usually with C-holes, a flat back, a fretted neck and six strings, played with an underhanded bow hold.
- What is viol in Urdu?
- Viol in Urdu is کمانچہ. See Viol meaning in Urdu.
- What part of speech is viol?
- Viol can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce viol?
- Viol is pronounced /ˈvaɪ.əl/.
- What is the plural of viol?
- The plural of viol is viols.
Words near viol in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: viol (page history and authors); viol (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-vial.ogg.
Cite this entry: “viol.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/viol. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.