Italian 'violino' (small viola), possibly tracing to the Roman goddess Vitula, patron of joyful festivals.
A stringed instrument of treble pitch, played with a horsehair bow, having four strings tuned in fifths and a hollow wooden body.
From Italian 'violino,' the diminutive of 'viola,' meaning literally 'small viola.' The Italian 'viola' itself derives from Old Provençal 'viola,' likely from Medieval Latin 'vitula,' meaning 'stringed instrument,' which may connect to the Latin name 'Vitula,' a Roman goddess of joy and victory, in whose honor instruments were played at festivals. The word entered English in the 1570s as the instrument was perfected by the great Cremonese makers
The word 'fiddle' and the word 'violin' refer to the same instrument but have completely different etymologies — 'violin' is Latinate (through Italian) while 'fiddle' comes from Germanic roots, possibly from Medieval Latin 'fīdula,' itself of uncertain origin. Calling it a 'fiddle' or a 'violin' often signals genre rather than any physical difference.
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