Main Entry:

¹lute

Pronunciation:

\ˈlüt\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Middle French lut, from Old Occitan laut, from Arabic al-ʽūd, literally, the wood

Date:

13th century

: a stringed instrument having a large pear-shaped body, a vaulted back, a fretted fingerboard, and a head with tuning pegs which is often angled backward from the neck

[lute illustration]