Lute and Oud Are the Same Word
A lute is a plucked stringed instrument. Its name is the Arabic word for the instrument it descends from.
A lute is a plucked stringed instrument with a rounded back and a neck bent sharply backwards. Its name records its ancestry: Arabic *al-ʿūd*, the wood, passed into Spanish as *laúd* and into English as *lute*, carrying the article along with the noun. The European lute is a direct descendant of the Arabic oud, which is still played across the Middle East. The bent-back pegbox exists to reduce the length of the instrument and ease string tension at the nut.
- A plucked instrument. *A Renaissance lute.*
- Oud — its ancestor. *An oud.*
- Lutenist — the player. *A lutenist.*
- Al-ʿūd — the wood. *The Arabic.*
- Arabic — through Spanish. *The route.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lute | A lute. |
| Plural | lutes | Lutes. |
| Agent | lutenist | A lutenist. |
| Related | oud | An oud. |
| Arabic | al-ʿūd | The wood. |
- He played the lute.Music.
- The oud is its ancestor.History.
- Al-ud means the wood.Etymology.
Arabic articles kept in English
- Lute — from *al-ʿūd*
- Algebra — from *al-jabr*
- Alcohol — from *al-kuhl*
- Alchemy — from *al-kimiya*
- In each case the Arabic word for the was absorbed
Old French *lut*, from Spanish *laúd*, from Arabic *al-ʿūd*, the wood.
Are the lute and the oud related?
Directly. The European lute descends from the Arabic oud, and its name is the Arabic word for the instrument.
Why do so many English words start with al?
Because Arabic al means the, and European languages absorbed the article along with the noun when borrowing.