Definition of viol Viol
vi•ol
We found 8 definitions of viol from 7 different sources.
Advertising
What does viol mean?
WordNet
NounPlural: viols |
||
| viol - any of a family of bowed stringed instruments that preceded the violin family | ||
| bowed stringed instrument, string stringed instruments that are played with a bow; "the strings played superlatively well" | ||
| viola da braccio a member of the viol family with approximately the range of a viola | ||
| gamba, viola da gamba, bass viol viol that is the bass member of the viol family with approximately the range of the cello | ||
= synonym
= antonym
= related word
= antonym
= related word
Wiktionary 
Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘
- viol (n.)
A stringed musical instrument formerly in use, of the same form as the violin, but larger, and having six strings, to be struck with a bow, and the neck furnished with frets for stopping the strings. - viol (n.)
A large rope sometimes used in weighing anchor.
OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω
-
viol
Any one of a family of bowed, fretted, stringed musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵
-
viol
A large messenger formerly used to assist in weighing an anchor by the capstan.
Wikipedia 
-
The viol (pronounce to rhyme with "mile"), (also called viola da gamba) is a kind of string instrument that was played with a bow. The viol was a popular instrument from the 15th to the 18th century. Viols were held between the knees and played with a bow. The bow was held with the palm of the hand facing upwards: the other way round from today's bowhold for violins, violas or cellos.
A set of viols of different sizes - perhaps four or five instruments - were sometimes kept together in a chest (large box) which is why they were called a "chest of viols". When they were played together people talked of a "consort of viols". A consort would normally have at least one treble, tenor and bass instrument. A "broken consort" meant a mixture of different instruments: viols, recorders etc. Lute and bass viol were often played together.
The viol, like the vihuela, from which it developed, had a bridge that was flatter than the bridge of a modern violin. This made it easier to play chords. There were six strings. The strings of a tenor viol (equivalent to the cello in the modern violin family) were tuned (from the lowest note, nearly two octaves below middle C, upwards) to D - G - C - E - A -D. The tenor viol was often called a viola da gamba (literally: "viol of the leg"). It was the most popular size for solo music and many composers wrote sonatas for the viola da gamba.
Although most instruments had six strings the number did vary during the centuries. The strings were made of gut. O
Part of speech
🔤- viol, noun, singular of viols.
Pronunciation
Word frequency
Sign Language
Your last searches
Last searches
Advertising
Jump to
Advertising