violoncello
violoncello Lexical Profile
violoncello Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A large stringed instrument of the violin family, supported on the floor by an endpin between the seated player's knees and played with a bow; the formal name for the cello.
"The composer specifically published the sonata for piano and violoncello, adhering to the formal naming conventions of the nineteenth century."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although 'violoncello' is the full, formal name of the instrument, it is almost exclusively abbreviated as 'cello' in modern English unless used in formal classical music programs or historical scores.
• Rhymes for violoncello
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Italian 'violoncello', literally meaning 'little large-viola'. It was formed as a diminutive of 'violone' (an early form of the double bass), which itself is an augmentative of 'viola'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.