Fiddle
/ˈfɪd.əl/noun
A bowed string instrument, especially a violin used in folk music.
Did you know?English “fiddle” is a later, informal word for the violin family, and its older history is tangled with Latin and Germanic forms that likely spread through medieval Europe as the instrument itself traveled.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bheidh-
“to trust, persuade, or confide”
Latin
Latin
fidere
“to trust, rely on”
Late Latin
Latin
vitula
“a stringed instrument; possibly a name connected with music-making”
Old French
Old French
vidule / viole
“a bowed string instrument”
Middle English
English
fidel / fidyl
“a stringed instrument, especially a fiddle or viol”
Modern English
English
fiddle
“a violin, especially when used for folk music or informal playing”