Violinists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals skilled in playing a stringed instrument with a bow, often performing classical music or in orchestras
2. Musicians who expertly use a resonant wooden instrument with four strings to produce melodies
3. People who engage in the art of manipulating a bow across strings to create harmonious sounds in various musical styles

Etymology: "Violinists" is the plural of "violinist," which is formed by adding the suffix "-ist" to "violin." That suffix comes through Latin "-ista" from Greek "-istēs," and it marks a person who practises or performs something, as in "pianist" or "cyclist." So a violinist is, at its simplest, someone who plays the violin. The violin itself is the more intricate part of the story. It descends from the Italian "viola," a word that Italian makers used for the bowed string instruments of the Renaissance, and the diminutive "violino" ("little viola") gave rise to the English "violin." Each stage of the name points to the instrument's gradual shrinking in size and its rise to prominence in Italian courts and churches.

Synonyms: fiddlers, string players, musicians, performers, instrumentalists