vihuela

From Spanish vihuela.

vihuela (plural vihuelas)

1. (music) A guitar-like string instrument of 15th- and 16th-century Spain, usually with six courses or sets of strings (twelve strings in total).
2. (music) A guitar-like string instrument of 19th-century Mexico with five strings, typically played in mariachi bands.

• vihuelist

Probably from Old Occitan viola (cf. modern Occitan viula), possibly from Medieval Latin vitula. Compare also Italian viola, Portuguese viola, French vielle, viole. Doublet of viola.

• IPA^(key): /biˈwela/ [biˈwe.la]
• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: vi‧hue‧la

vihuela f (plural vihuelas)

1. (music) vihuela

• “vihuela”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024