Where does “viola” come from?

Viola comes from Italian viola, from Old Occitan viola, from Latin viola, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- meaning to turn or twist.

viola (English): A stringed instrument of the violin family,...

Definitions

  1. A stringed instrument of the violin family,...

Ancestry of “viola”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianviolapurple, violet; viola, violet; violet, purple
2Old Occitanviola—
3Medieval Latinvitulastringed instrument
4LatinVitulathe Roman goddess of joy and victory. See
Every word from Latin Vitula →Every word from Medieval Latin vitula →Every word from Old Occitan viola →