Illustration of lute
lute
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈlüt 
: 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
2 of 4verb
luted; luting
transitive verb
: to seal or cover (something, such as a joint or surface) with lute
lute
3 of 4noun (2)
: a substance (such as cement or clay) for packing a joint or coating a porous surface to make it impervious to gas or liquid
lute-
4 of 4combining form
variants or luteo-
: corpus luteum
luteal
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Middle French lut, from Old Occitan laut, from Arabic al-ʽūd, literally, the wood
Verb
Middle English, from Latin lutare, from lutum mud — more at pollute
Combining form
New Latin (corpus) luteum
First Known Use
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
lute
noun
ˈlüt
: a musical instrument with a pear-shaped body and usually paired strings played with the fingers
Medical Definition
lute
noun
ˈlüt
: a substance (as cement or clay) for packing a joint (as in laboratory apparatus) or coating a porous surface to produce imperviousness to gas or liquid