viol

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viol

/ˈvaɪ.əl/

Sounds like vial, vile · Rhymes with -aɪəl

Where it comes from

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.

noun 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. Near-synonym: viola d'amore
Similar: viola da gamba, gamba, gambo, viola d'amore
A large rope used to manipulate the anchor

verb viols · violing · violling · violed · 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.

Translations

Every language

noun stringed instrument

Português	viola da gamba
Français	viole de gambe
Deutsch	Gambe, Viola da Gamba, Kniegeige
Русский	вио́ла vióla

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MLA

"viol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/viol. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

viol. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/viol

Chicago

"viol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/viol.

BibTeX

@misc{viol_2026,
  title = {viol},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/viol},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}