viola

From Latin viola (“violet”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈviː.ələ/, /ˈvaɪələ/^[1][2]
• (US) IPA^(key): /vaɪˈoʊlə/, /vɪˈoʊlə/, /ˈvaɪ.ələ/^[3]

viola (plural violas)

1. (botany) Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Viola, including the violets and pansies.

From Italian viola, from Old Occitan viola (modern Occitan viula), from Medieval Latin vitula (“stringed instrument”), possibly from Frankish *fiþulā (“violin, fiddle”). Doublet of viol. Also possibly a doublet of fiddle.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /viˈəʊ.lə/^[4][5]
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /viˈoʊ.lə/^[6]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊlə

viola (plural violas or (senses 1 and 2, uncommon) viole)

1. A stringed instrument of the violin family, somewhat larger than a violin, played under the chin, and having a deeper tone.
   • 1997 August 9, Edward Rothstein, “A Comeback for the Viola. No Joking.”, in The New York Times‎^[6]:

     But those who attack violists shouldn't throw resin. Once the ergonomic viola catches on what instrument will be immune?

   • 1999 April 25, James E. Oestreich, “MUSIC; Violists Are the Twin Stars Of an Orchestral Galaxy”, in The New York Times‎^[7]:

     Also in that series, without Mr. Masur's guiding hand, Ms. Phelps and Ms. Young will anchor performances of Bach's Sixth "Brandenburg" Concerto, in which violas carry the upper lines.

2. A person who plays the viola.
3. (music) An organ stop having a similar tone.
4. (music) A 10-string steel-string acoustic guitar, used in Brazilian folk music.
5. (music) A berimbau viola, the smallest member of the berimbau used in capoeira music.

viola

1. (often humorous) Misconstruction of voila.
   • 1988, “Hey Vern, It's Pets”, in Hey, Vern, It's Ernest! (television production), spoken by Dr. Otto (Jim Varney):

     And viola, Eureka California! I have finished my greatest invention: the worst dog in the world!

   • 2011, Hedge Funds for Dummies:

     [...] ; you fill out a form; you write your check; and viola! You're a mutual fund shareholder.

• Viola (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:Violas on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Viola (Violaceae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

• Ivalo, oliva, voila, voilà, volia

viola (plural violas)

1. a viola (string instrument).

   Synonym: altviool

2. violist

   Synonyms: altvioolspeler, altviolis

• viool

viola (epicene, plural violes)

1. violet

viola m (plural violes)

1. violet (colour)

viola f (plural violes)

1. violet (flower)

• IPA^(key): (Central) [biˈɔ.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [viˈɔ.lə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [viˈɔ.la]

Borrowed from Latin viola.

viola f (plural violes)

1. viola (flowering plant of the genus Viola)

• viola alba (V. alba)
• viola boscana (V. sylvestris, now V. reichenbachiana)
• viola canina (V. canina)
• viola groga (Caltha palustris)
• viola d'olor or viola vera (V. odorata)

Uncertain, probably from Occitan viula, derivative of viular (“playing a string instrument” or “wind”).

viola f (plural violes)

1. viola (musicial instrument)

viola m or f by sense (plural violes)

1. violist

   Synonym: violista

viola f (plural violes)

1. leapfrog

   Synonym: saltar i parar

viola

1. inflection of violar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “viola”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “viola”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “viola” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “viola” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

viola f

1. viola (musical instrument of the violin family)

From Italian viola. Doublet of viool and vedel.

viola f (plural viola's, diminutive violaatje n)

1. synonym of altviool (“viola”)

• IPA^(key): /viˈola/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ola
• Hyphenation: vi‧o‧la

viola (accusative singular violan, plural violaj, accusative plural violajn)

1. of or relating to the flower violet
2. the color of such flowers, violet
   violet:  

   Synonym: violkolora

From Italian viola.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋiolɑ/, [ˈʋio̞lɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iolɑ
• Syllabification^(key): vi‧o‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): vio‧la

viola

1. (music) viola

• “viola”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[8] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 4 July 2023

• Ivalo, Olavi, loiva, lovia, olvia, valio, valoi

viola

1. third-person singular past historic of violer

• lovai, voila, voilà, volai

Borrowed from Latin viola.

• IPA^(key): /viˈɔ.la/^[1], /ˈvjɔ.la/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɔla
• Hyphenation: vi‧ò‧la, viò‧la

viola (invariable)

1. purple, violet

   Synonyms: violetto, violaceo

viola f (plural viole)

1. viola, violet (plant)

   Synonym: violetta

2. violet, purple (color)

   Synonym: violetto

• violacciocca
• violaceo

Possibly from Old Occitan viola (modern Occitan viula), ultimately from Medieval Latin *vitula (“stringed instrument”), which could be related to the goddess Latin vitula.

• IPA^(key): /viˈɔ.la/^[1], /ˈvjɔ.la/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɔla
• Hyphenation: vi‧ò‧la, viò‧la

viola f (plural viole)

1. (music) viola
2. (music) fiddle

• viola da braccio
• viola da gamba
• viola del pensiero

• → English: viola

• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “violin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /ˈvi.o.la/^[1]
• Rhymes: -iola
• Hyphenation: vì‧o‧la

viola

1. inflection of violare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Colors in Italian · colori (layout · text)

bianco	argento; grigio	nero
rosso; cremisi	arancione; marrone; bronzo	giallo; oro; crema
verde chiaro; limetta	verde	verde acqua; acquamarina; verde menta; verde menta scuro
ciano; azzurro; celeste; blu petrolio; foglia di tè	azzurro; celeste; celeste scuro	blu; blu scuro
violetto; indaco	magenta; viola	rosa; fucsia; porpora

• viola in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

• oliva, ovali, voilà, volai

Related to Ancient Greek ἴον (íon, “violet”) (from ϝίον). Probably from a pre-I.E. Mediterranean substrate language. See also Middle Persian wnpšk'.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwi.ɔ.ɫa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈviː.o.la]

viola f (genitive violae); first declension

1. violet (flower)

First-declension noun.

• “viola”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “viola”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "viola", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

From violō.

violā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of violō

• Hyphenation: vi‧o‧la

From Old Galician-Portuguese viola, from Old Occitan viola, from Medieval Latin vitula, from vitula, Roman goddess of joy and victory.

viola f (plural violas)

1. (music) viola (a bowed instrument larger than a violin)
2. (music) viol (a bowed instrument of the violin family held between the legs)
3. (music) viola; viola caipira (10-string acoustic guitar used in Brazilian folk music)
4. (music, loosely or endearing) acoustic guitar
5. guitarfish (any of the rays in the Rhinobatidae family)

• (viol): viola da gamba
• (viola caipira): viola caipira
• (acoustic guitar): violão, guitarra
• (guitarfish): cação-viola, raia-viola, arraia-viola

• viola da gamba
• violino
• violoncelo

• → Malay: biola
  • > Indonesian: biola (inherited)
  • → Tausug: biyula

viola

1. inflection of violar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Borrowed from French violer, from Latin violō.

• IPA^(key): /vioˈla/

a viola (third-person singular present violează, past participle violat) 1st conjugation

1. to violate
2. to rape

• IPA^(key): /ˈbjola/ [ˈbjo.la]
• Rhymes: -ola
• Syllabification: vio‧la

Borrowed from Italian viola.

viola f (plural violas)

1. viola (musical instrument)
2. (Rioplatense, slang) electric guitar

viola

1. inflection of violar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “viola”, 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