English Explanatory Dictionary

flute

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A woodwind instrument consisting of a tube with a row of holes that produce sound through vibrations caused by air blown across the edge of the holes, often tuned by plugging one or more holes with a finger; the Western concert flute, a transverse side-blown flute of European origin.
  2. A recorder, also a woodwind instrument.
  3. A glass with a long, narrow bowl and a long stem, used for drinking wine, especially champagne.
  4. A lengthwise groove, such as one of the lengthwise grooves on a classical column, or a groove on a cutting tool (such as a drill bit, endmill, or reamer), which helps to form both a cutting edge and a channel through which chips can escape.
  5. A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.
  6. A long French bread roll, baguette.
  7. An organ stop with a flute-like sound.
  8. A shuttle in weaving tapestry etc.
verb
  1. To play on a flute.
  2. To make a flutelike sound.
  3. To utter with a flutelike sound.
  4. 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.).
noun
  1. A kind of flyboat; a storeship.

Pronunciation

/flu(ː)t/ en-us-flute.ogg

Word forms

flute flutes fluting fluted

Etymology

From Middle English fleute, floute, flote, from Old French flaute, fleüte, from Old Provençal flaüt, of uncertain origin. Perhaps ultimately from three possibilities: * Blend of Provencal flaujol (“flageolet”) + laüt (“lute”) * From Latin flātus (“blowing”), from flāre (“to blow”) * Imitative. Doublet of flauta and fluyt.

Synonyms

Western concert flute edge-blown aerophone

Related words

flageolet flute-douce flute around champagne flute flautist fluted

Derived words

alto flute block flute chimney flute devil's flute Divje Babe flute duct flute en flute English flute eunuch flute flute-bird fluted armour fluteful fluteless flutemouth flute-player fluter flute register flute stop flutework flutey flutist flutophone fluty German flute hyperbass flute Irish flute Native American flute nose flute octave flute onion flute pan flute shepherd's flute skin flute transverse flute vertical flute vessel flute Western concert flute whistle and flute
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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