viol
a bowed musical instrument, differing from the violin in having deeper ribs, sloping shoulders, a greater number of strings, usually six, and frets: common in the 16th and 17th centuries in various sizes from the treble viol to the bass viol.
Origin of viol
1Words that may be confused with viol
Words Nearby viol
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use viol in a sentence
So the angels gave the lad white wings like their own, and a great viol like a jongleur's.
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisThe sound of the viol is again heard, and the merry dance is kept up till near morning light.
Charles Duran | The Author of The WaldosI doubt if you can play the Dead March on a bass-viol, and I'm morally certain you can't play it and walk with it too.
Wandering Heath | Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-CouchPillsbury played the bass viol, and once a week or so he and Penny got together and spent an entranced hour.
Left Tackle Thayer | Ralph Henry BarbourTabret and viol jangle harshly in the ears that have rioted in melodies made by fairy harpers.
Sword and Gown | George A. Lawrence
British Dictionary definitions for viol
/ (ˈvaɪəl) /
any of a family of stringed musical instruments that preceded the violin family, consisting of a fretted fingerboard, a body rather like that of a violin but having a flat back and six strings, played with a curved bow. They are held between the knees when played and have a quiet yet penetrating tone; they were much played, esp in consorts, in the 16th and 17th centuries
Origin of viol
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse