vi·o·lin  (vī'ə-lĭn')  n. A stringed instrument played with a bow, having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth, an unfretted fingerboard, and a shallower body than the viol and capable of great flexibility in range, tone, and dynamics. [Italian violino, diminutive of viola, viola; see viola1.] vi'o·lin'ist n., vi'o·lin·is'tic adj. |