Violas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of string instrument that is slightly larger than a violin and has a deeper sound, commonly used in orchestras
2. An ensemble of musical instruments that produce sound through the vibration of strings, characterized by a warm tone
3. A versatile instrument, often played in classical and contemporary music, that contributes rich harmonies to ensemble performances

Etymology: "Violas" is simply the plural of "viola", the alto member of the violin family, so the story is really the story of its singular. The instrument's name is a close cousin of "viol" and possibly of "fiddle", and it passed through several languages on the way. Medieval Latin "vitula" meant a stringed instrument, and the same root reached Old Occitan as "viola" before Italian took it up. The Medieval Latin word may itself have come from a Frankish term "fiþulā", meaning something like "fiddle", which would make the viola's name a borrowing from a Germanic language. The word "viola" also means "violet" in Latin, a coincidence that the instrument's name shares with the flower, though the two are not linked in origin.