Flute

Pronunciation

• enPR: flooÍžt, IPA: /fluːt/
• Rhymes: -uːt

From Old French flaute, from Provencal flaut, ultimately from three possibilities:

• Blend of Provencal flaujol ("flageolet") + laut ("lute")
• From Latin flare ("to blow")
• Imitative.

Noun

1. (musical instruments) A woodwind instrument consisting of a metal, wood or bamboo tube with a row of circular holes and played by blowing across a hole in the side of one end or through a narrow channel at one end against a sharp edge, while covering none, some or all of the holes with the fingers to vary the note played.
• Alexander PopeThe breathing flute's soft notes are heard around.
2. A glass with a long, narrow bowl and a long stem, used for drinking wine, especially champagne.
3. a lengthwise groove, such as one of the lengthwise grooves on a classical order, or a groove on a cutting tool (such as a drill bit, , or ), which helps to form both a cutting edge and a channel through which can escape
4. (architecture, firearms) A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.
5. A long French bread roll.
6. An organ stop with a flute-like sound.

Derived terms

• pan flute
• skin flute

Related terms

• flageolet

Verb

1. (intransitive) To play on a flute.
2. (intransitive) To make a flutelike sound.
3. (transitive) To utter with a flutelike sound.
• Wodehouse Offing|XIII|“Oh, there's my precious Poppet,” said Phyllis, as a distant barking reached the ears. “He's asking for his dinner, the sweet little angel. All right, darling, Mother's coming,” she fluted, and buzzed off on the errand of mercy.
4. (transitive) To form flutes or channels in (as in a column, a ruffle, etc.); to cut a semicylindrical vertical groove in (as in a pillar, etc.).

Related terms

• champagne flute
• flautist
• fluted

Compare French flûte ("a transport")?, Dutch fluit.

Full definition of flute

Noun

1. A kind of flyboat; a storeship.