Main Entry:

¹flute

Pronunciation:

\ˈflüt\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English floute, from Anglo-French floute, fleute, from Old French flaüte, probably of imitative origin

Date:

14th century

1 a: recorder 3 b: a keyed woodwind instrument consisting of a cylindrical tube which is stopped at one end and which has a side hole over which air is blown to produce the tone and having a range from middle C upward for three octaves2: something long and slender: as a: a tall slender wineglass b: a grooved pleat (as on a hat brim) 3: a rounded groove ; specifically : one of the vertical parallel grooves on a classical architectural column

— flute·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— fluty or flut·ey \ˈflü-tē\ adjective

[flute illustration]