Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Violoncello

Violoncello (?; 277) , noun

[Italian violoncello, dim. of violone a bass viol. See Violone.]

(Music) A stringed instrument of music; a bass viol of four strings, or a bass violin with long, large strings, giving sounds an octave lower than the viola, or tenor or alto violin.