viola

  

vi·o·la

1 [vee-oh-luh]
noun
1.
a four-stringed musical instrument of the violin family, slightly larger than the violin; a tenor or alto violin.
2.
a labial organ stop of eight-foot or four-foot pitch, giving tones of a penetrating stringlike quality.
Origin:
1715–25; < Italian viola < Old Provençal viola; see viol

Dictionary.com Unabridged

vi·o·la

2 [vahy-uh-luh, vahy-oh-, vee-]
noun
1.
any plant of the genus Viola, especially a cultivated variety. Compare pansy ( def 1 ), violet ( defs 1, 2 ).
2.
a pansy, V. cornuta, cultivated as a garden plant.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English: violet < Latin: violet

00:10
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a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Vi·o·la

[vahy-uh-luh, vee-; vahy-oh-luh, vee-]
noun
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
viola1 (vɪˈəʊlə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a bowed stringed instrument, the alto of the violin family; held beneath the chin when played. It is pitched and tuned an octave above the cello
2.  any of various instruments of the viol family, such as the viola da gamba
 
[C18: from Italian viola, probably from Old Provençal viola, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Latin vītulārī to rejoice]

viola2 (ˈvaɪələ, vaɪˈəʊ-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
violet See also pansy any temperate perennial herbaceous plant of the violaceous genus Viola, the flowers of which have showy irregular petals, white, yellow, blue, or mauve in colour
 
[C15: from Latin: violet]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

viola
tenor violin, 1797, from It. viola, from O.Prov. viola, from M.L. vitula "stringed instrument," perhaps from Vitula, Roman goddess of joy (see fiddle), or from related L. verb vitulari "to exult, be joyful." Viola da gamba "bass viol" (1724) is from It., lit. "a viola for
the leg" (i.e. to hold between the legs).

Viola
fem. proper name, from L. viola "the violet" (see violet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
viola [(vee-oh-luh)]

A musical instrument shaped like a violin but somewhat larger, lower pitched, and “darker” in tone. A viola player holds a viola like a violin, under the chin.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

Viola definition


An experimental hypercard-like interpreted hypertext system by Pei Y. Wei of Berkeley.
(1994-11-30)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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