Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “violin” come from?

Violin derives from Italian violino, diminutive of viola, from Latin viola, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European welh₁-, with the suffix -inus added through Latin vitulus and vitula.

violin (English): A musical four-string instrument, generally...

Definitions

  1. A musical four-string instrument, generally...

Ancestry of “violin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanViolineviolin
2Italianviolinoviolin, fiddle; violin, violinist
3Italian-inoAlterative suffix used to form diminutives; Used...
4Latin-īnus—
5Proto-Italic-īnosof/belonging to
6Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
7Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “violin”

  • violinist
  • violinistic
  • violinmaker
  • violinmaking
  • violinlike
  • violinic
  • violin maker
  • violinophone
  • 梵阿玲
  • violono
  • violonisto
  • violonistino
  • バイオリン
  • 바이올린
  • dordveidhlín
  • veidhlín
  • violineto
  • violino
  • violinuyo
  • ไวโอลิน
  • ivayolini
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →