Viola
/ˈviː.ə.lə/noun
A stringed musical instrument in the violin family, slightly larger and lower in pitch than the violin; also a genus of flowering plants.
Did you know?Viola is a genuine Latin word for both the flower and the instrument-family name, and its deeper root is tied to the same ancient plant-name tradition that gave English the word violet.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wei-
“A root meaning “to bend, twist, or turn,” often proposed in the background of plant names and related forms.”
Latin
Latin
viola
“Violet; the violet plant and its purple-blue flower.”
Late Latin
Latin
viola
“A stringed instrument, named for its resemblance to the flower or for the association of the word with the instrument family.”
Old French
Old French
violle / viole
“A bowed string instrument.”
Middle English
English
viola
“A musical instrument of the violin family, borrowed through learned and musical usage.”
Modern English
English
viola
“The modern viola instrument, and also the botanical genus name for violets.”
Explore more surprising origins