Vl.

Noun

violin (plural violins)

1. 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.
   • When I play it like this, it's a fiddle; when I play it like this, it's a violin.
2. (proscribed, sometimes, inexact) Any instrument of the violin family, always inclusive of violins, violas and cellos, and sometimes further including the double bass.
   • 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.
3. (metonymically) A violinist in an orchestra or group.
   • The violins are seated with sufficient elbow room.

See all 4 meanings of violin