viola

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun Same as viol.
• noun Specifically,in modern usage, the large violin, properly the alto violin, though generally called the tenor, in size about one seventh larger than the violin
• noun In organ-building, a stop with metal pipes of narrow scale and ears on the sides of the mouths, giving tones of a penetrating, string-like quality.
• noun A genus of plants, type of the order Violarieæ and tribe Violeæ, including the pansies and violets.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Bot.) A genus of polypetalous herbaceous plants, including all kinds of violets.
• noun (Mus.) An instrument in form and use resembling the violin, but larger, and a fifth lower in compass.
• noun the tenor viol, or viola, a fifth lower than the violin. Its part is written in the alto clef, hence it is sometimes called the alto.
• noun an instrument resembling the viola, but larger, and held between the knees. It is now rarely used.
• noun an instrument formerly used, resembling the viola, and intermediate in size between the viola and the viola da gamba.
• noun a viol, larger than the viola, having catgut strings upon, and brass or steel wires under, the keyboard. These, sounding sympathetically with the strings, yield a peculiarly soft and silvery sound. It is now seldom used.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun botany Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Viola, including the violets and pansies.
• noun music A stringed instrument of the violin family, somewhat larger than a violin, played under the chin, and having a deeper tone
• noun music An organ stop having a similar tone
• noun music A 10-string steel-string acoustic guitar, used in Brazilian folk music.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola
• noun a bowed stringed instrument slightly larger than a violin, tuned a fifth lower
• noun large genus of flowering herbs of temperate regions