lute

Everyday

1. A lute is an old stringed musical instrument with a pear-shaped body and a bent-back neck, played by plucking the strings with the fingers. tree →
2. (rare) Lute is a sticky paste used to seal joints. tree →

In the lessons

In music and history lessons the lute was very popular in Europe in the Middle Ages and Renaissance; minstrels and courtiers played it. It came from the Arabic «oud». In stories a bard with a lute sings at the castle. Phrases: «play the lute», «lute music».

Examples

• The minstrel played his lute at the banquet. tree →
• A lute has a round back like half a pear. tree →
• Queen Elizabeth I could play the lute. tree →
• We heard lute music on the museum tour. tree →
• The lute came to Europe from the Arabic oud. tree →
• The bard tuned his lute before the song. tree →
• The Prince sat down and strummed away on the lute [gusli]. tree →

Note

Countable. Homophone: «loot» (stolen goods) sounds the same in most accents. A person who plays it is a «lutenist» or «lutanist»; a person who makes stringed instruments is a «luthier».