Viola

See also: viola, víóla, Vióla, vioła, violă, vióla, violá, violà, and viòla

Translingual

Viola odorata

Viola tricolor

Etymology

Latin viola (“violet”)

Proper noun

Viola f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Violaceae – violets.
2. A taxonomic genus within the family Hesperiidae – certain of the butterflies called skippers.

Hypernyms

• (violets): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Plantae – kingdom; Viridiplantae – subkingdom; Streptophyta – infrakingdom; Embryophyta – superphylum; Tracheophyta – phylum; Spermatophytina – subphylum; angiosperms, eudicots, core eudicots, rosids, fabids, COM clade – clades; Malpighiales – order; Violaceae – family
• (butterflies): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Animalia – kingdom; Bilateria – subkingdom; Protostomia – infrakingdom; Ecdysozoa – superphylum; Arthropoda – phylum; Hexapoda – subphylum; Insecta – class; Pterygota – subclass; Neoptera – infraclass; Lepidoptera – order; Glossata – suborder; Heteroneura – infraorder; Ditrysia – division; Cossina – section; Bombycina – subsection; Papilionoidea – superfamily; Hesperiiformes – series; Hesperiidae – family; Pyrginae – subfamily; Pyrgini – tribe

Hyponyms

• (genus in Violaceae): Viola odorata (sweet violet) – type species; Viola angustifolia, Viola tricolor, Viola wikipedia – selected species; for other species see List of Viola species on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• (genus in Hesperiidae): Viola alicus, Viola egra, Viola minor, Viola olla, Viola violella – species

References

violet

• Viola (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Viola (L.) on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Viola (Violaceae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Viola at USDA Plants database

butterfly

• Viola (butterfly) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Viola Evans on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Viola (Hesperiidae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

English

Viola, Wisconsin

Etymology

From Latin viola (“violet”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaɪˈəʊlə/, /viˈəʊlə/, /ˈvaɪələ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Proper noun

Viola

1. A female given name from Latin.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     Were you a woman as the rest goes even,
     I should my tears let fall upon your cheek,
     And say, ‘Thrice welcome, drowned Viola!’

2. A comune in Cuneo province, Piedmont, Italy.
3. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A town in Fulton County, Arkansas.
   2. An unincorporated community in Shasta County, California.
   3. A town in Kent County, Delaware.
   4. An unincorporated community in Heard County, Georgia.
   5. An unincorporated community in Latah County, Idaho.
   6. A village in Greene Township, Mercer County, Illinois.
   7. An unincorporated community in Brown Township, Linn County, Iowa.
   8. A minor city and township in Sedgwick County, Kansas.
   9. An unincorporated community in Graves County, Kentucky.
   10. A township and unincorporated community therein, in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
   11. An unincorporated community in Barry County and Stone County, Missouri.
   12. A hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York.
   13. A town in Warren County, Tennessee.
   14. An unincorporated community in Marion County, West Virginia.
   15. An unincorporated community in Marshall County, West Virginia.
   16. A village in Richland County and Vernon County, Wisconsin.
   17. Other townships in Illinois and Iowa, listed under Viola Township.

Related terms

• Violet

Translations

female given name

• Czech: Viola (cs) f
• Danish: Viola
• Finnish: Viola (fi)
• Hawaiian: Waiola
• Italian: Viola (it)
• Swedish: Viola (sv)

Anagrams

• Ivalo, oliva, voila, voilà, volia

Czech

Proper noun

Viola f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Viola

Declension

Declension of Viola (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	Viola	Violy
genitive	Violy	Viol
dative	Viole	Violám
accusative	Violu	Violy
vocative	Violo	Violy
locative	Viole	Violách
instrumental	Violou	Violami

Danish

Proper noun

Viola

1. a female given name from Latin of Latin origin

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin viola in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋiolɑ/, [ˈʋio̞lɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iolɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Vi‧o‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): Vio‧la

Proper noun

Viola

1. a female given name from Latin
   • 1984, Veronica Pimenoff, Loistava Helena, Tammi, →ISBN, pages 45–46:

     Helenalle valkeni että Marjatan äidillä oli sama nimi kaksi kertaa: Viola Orvokki. Kuitenkin nimet olivat kuin toistensa vastakohtia: Viola kellanvaaleana sulatejuustopakkauksessa ja toisaalta Orvokkini tummasilmä.

     Helena realized that Marjatta's mother had the same name twice: Viola Orvokki. Yet the names were still polar opposites: Viola was yellow and white on a packet of processed cheese and toisaalta Orvokkini tummasilmä [song].

Declension

Inflection of Viola (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Viola	Violat
genitive		Violan	Violojen
partitive		Violaa	Violoja
illative		Violaan	Violoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Viola	Violat
accusative	nom.	Viola	Violat
	gen.	Violan
genitive		Violan	Violojen Violain rare
partitive		Violaa	Violoja
inessive		Violassa	Violoissa
elative		Violasta	Violoista
illative		Violaan	Violoihin
adessive		Violalla	Violoilla
ablative		Violalta	Violoilta
allative		Violalle	Violoille
essive		Violana	Violoina
translative		Violaksi	Violoiksi
abessive		Violatta	Violoitta
instructive		—	Violoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Viola (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Violani Violani accusative nom. Violani Violani gen. Violani genitive Violani Violojeni Violaini rare partitive Violaani Violojani inessive Violassani Violoissani elative Violastani Violoistani illative Violaani Violoihini adessive Violallani Violoillani ablative Violaltani Violoiltani allative Violalleni Violoilleni essive Violanani Violoinani translative Violakseni Violoikseni abessive Violattani Violoittani instructive — — comitative — Violoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Violasi Violasi accusative nom. Violasi Violasi gen. Violasi genitive Violasi Violojesi Violaisi rare partitive Violaasi Violojasi inessive Violassasi Violoissasi elative Violastasi Violoistasi illative Violaasi Violoihisi adessive Violallasi Violoillasi ablative Violaltasi Violoiltasi allative Violallesi Violoillesi essive Violanasi Violoinasi translative Violaksesi Violoiksesi abessive Violattasi Violoittasi instructive — — comitative — Violoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Violamme Violamme accusative nom. Violamme Violamme gen. Violamme genitive Violamme Violojemme Violaimme rare partitive Violaamme Violojamme inessive Violassamme Violoissamme elative Violastamme Violoistamme illative Violaamme Violoihimme adessive Violallamme Violoillamme ablative Violaltamme Violoiltamme allative Violallemme Violoillemme essive Violanamme Violoinamme translative Violaksemme Violoiksemme abessive Violattamme Violoittamme instructive — — comitative — Violoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Violanne Violanne accusative nom. Violanne Violanne gen. Violanne genitive Violanne Violojenne Violainne rare partitive Violaanne Violojanne inessive Violassanne Violoissanne elative Violastanne Violoistanne illative Violaanne Violoihinne adessive Violallanne Violoillanne ablative Violaltanne Violoiltanne allative Violallenne Violoillenne essive Violananne Violoinanne translative Violaksenne Violoiksenne abessive Violattanne Violoittanne instructive — — comitative — Violoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Violansa Violansa accusative nom. Violansa Violansa gen. Violansa genitive Violansa Violojensa Violainsa rare partitive Violaansa Violojaan Violojansa inessive Violassaan Violassansa Violoissaan Violoissansa elative Violastaan Violastansa Violoistaan Violoistansa illative Violaansa Violoihinsa adessive Violallaan Violallansa Violoillaan Violoillansa ablative Violaltaan Violaltansa Violoiltaan Violoiltansa allative Violalleen Violallensa Violoilleen Violoillensa essive Violanaan Violanansa Violoinaan Violoinansa translative Violakseen Violaksensa Violoikseen Violoiksensa abessive Violattaan Violattansa Violoittaan Violoittansa instructive — — comitative — Violoineen Violoinensa

Statistics

• Viola is the 190^th most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 3,271 female individuals (and as a middle name to 4,560 more), according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Anagrams

• Ivalo, Olavi, loiva, lovia, olvia, valio, valoi

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvi̯oːla/, [viˈoːla], [ˈvjoːla]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian viola.

Noun

Viola f (genitive Viola, plural Violen)

1. (music) synonym of Bratsche

Declension

Declension of Viola [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Viola	die	Violen
genitive	einer	der	Viola	der	Violen
dative	einer	der	Viola	den	Violen
accusative	eine	die	Viola	die	Violen

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin viola.

Noun

Viola f (genitive Viola, plural Violen)

1. (botany) alternative form of Viole (“violet”)

Declension

Declension of Viola [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Viola	die	Violen
genitive	einer	der	Viola	der	Violen
dative	einer	der	Viola	den	Violen
accusative	eine	die	Viola	die	Violen

Further reading

• “Viola”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)
• “Viola” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• Viola on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Viola” in Duden online
• “Viola” in Duden online

Italian

Etymology

The given name derived from Latin viola (“a violet”). The surname can be matronymic, but more often occupational, for a dyer of violet cloth, or a player of the viola.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viˈɔ.la/, /ˈvjɔ.la/
• Rhymes: -ɔla
• Hyphenation: Vi‧ò‧la, Viò‧la

Proper noun

Viola f

1. a female given name from Latin

Proper noun

Viola m or f by sense

1. a surname

Anagrams

• oliva, ovali, voilà, volai

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈviɔɫa/
• Homophone: viola

Proper noun

Viola f

1. a female given name

Declension

Declension of Viola
(pattern žena)

	singular	plural
nominative	Viola	Violy
genitive	Violy	Viol
dative	Viole	Violám
accusative	Violu	Violy
locative	Viole	Violách
instrumental	Violou	Violami

Further reading

• “Viola”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Occupational surname for a viola player, from Late Latin vitula, or for a dyer or seller of violet fabric.

Proper noun

Viola m or f by sense

1. a surname

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin viola (“violet”). First recorded in Sweden in 1844.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɪ²uːla/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Viola c (genitive Violas)

1. a female given name from Latin

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
• [2] Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, →ISBN 57 207 females with the given name Viola living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with the frequency peak in the 1910s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.