A lute is a stringed instrument with a rounded body that is quite like a guitar and is played with the fingers.
lute in British English1
(luːt)
noun
an ancient plucked stringed instrument, consisting of a long fingerboard with frets and gut strings, and a body shaped like a sliced pear
Word origin
C14: from Old French lut, via Old Provençal from Arabic al 'ūd, literally: the wood
lute in British English2
(luːt)
noun
1. Also called: luting
a mixture of cement and clay used to seal the joints between pipes, etc
2. dentistry
a thin layer of cement used to fix a crown or inlay in place on a tooth
verb
3. (transitive)
to seal (a joint or surface) with lute
Word origin
C14: via Old French ultimately from Latin lutum clay
lute in American English1
(ˈlut)
noun
1.
an old stringed instrument related to the guitar, with a body shaped like half a pear and six to thirteen strings stretched along the fretted neck, which is often bent to form a sharp angle
verb intransitive, verb transitiveWord forms: ˈluted or ˈluting
2.
to play (on) a lute
Word origin
ME < MFr lut < OFr leüt < Prov läut < Ar alʼūd, lit., the wood
lute in American English2
(ˈlut)
noun
1.
a clayey cement used to keep the joints of pipes from leaking and as a sealing agent generally
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈluted or ˈluting
2.
to seal with lute
Word origin
OFr lut < L lutum, mud, clay < IE base *leu-, dirt > Gr lyma, filth, OIr loth, dirt