I. vēˈōlə sometimes vīˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Italian & Spanish, viol, viola, from Old Provençal viola, viula viol
1. : a musical instrument of the violin family that is intermediate in size and compass between the violin and the violoncello, is tuned a fifth lower than the violin with its open string pitches being c, g, d′, a′, and has a somber tone quality when played on its lower strings but a more strident sound on its A string
2. : a player of the viola
3. : a string-toned labial pipe-organ stop of 8-foot or 4-foot pitch
II. vīˈōlə, ˈvīələ noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, violet — more at violet
1. capitalized : a very large genus of acaulescent or leafy-stemmed herbs or undershrubs (family Violaceae) having alternate stipulate leaves and both conspicuous petaliferous mostly vernal flowers and cleistogamous flowers borne on peduncles or stolons and sometimes concealed underground, the former with purple, yellow, or white petals often marked or variegated and with the corolla irregular and often spurred and the sepals eared at the base and the latter without petals, self-fertilized in the bud, and very fruitful — see pansy , sweet violet , violet , wild pansy
2. -s : any plant of the genus Viola ; especially : any of numerous cultivated and sometimes naturalized hybrids originally developed by crossing the garden pansy and the tufted pansy and having flowers intermediate in size between the garden pansy and the wild pansy