flute
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flute¹
- /flu(ː)t/
Rhymes with -uːt
Where it comes from
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.
noun flutes
-
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.
The breathing flute's ſoft notes are heard around, / And the ſhril trumpets mix their ſilver ſound; / The vaulted roofs vvith echoing muſic ring, / Theſe touch the vocal ſtops, and thoſe the trembling ſtring.
Similar: Western concert flute, edge-blown aerophone
- A recorder, also a woodwind instrument.
- A glass with a long, narrow bowl and a long stem, used for drinking wine, especially champagne. These are champagne glasses, says Peggy. No, I mean the tall ones, Jamie says. You're thinking of flutes, says Peggy. These are coupes.
- 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.
- A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.
- A long French bread roll, baguette.
- An organ stop with a flute-like sound.
- A shuttle in weaving tapestry etc.
verb flutes · fluting · fluted
- To play on a flute.
- To make a flutelike sound. The green turf was velvet underfoot. The blackbirds fluted in the hazels there.
- To utter with a flutelike sound. “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.
- 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.).
flute²
- /flu(ː)t/
Rhymes with -uːt
Where it comes from
Compare French flûte (“a transport”)?, Dutch fluit.
noun flutes
- A kind of flyboat; a storeship.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: transverse flute, champagne flute, flute glass, shakuhachi, pipe, piper, recorder, cuss, damn, horn, crap, goblet, tik, flûte, gosh, fife
Translations
Every language
noun woodwind instrument
| Español | flauta, flauta travesera |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 플루트 peulluteu |
| 日本語 | フルート furūto, 笛 fue |
| 中文 | 長笛 /长笛 chángdí, 笛 dí |
| हिन्दी | बाँसुरी bā̃surī, वंशी vañśī |
| Kiswahili | filimbi |
| Português | flauta |
| Français | flûte |
| Deutsch | Flöte, Querflöte |
| Italiano | flauto, piffero, zufolo, flauto traverso, flauto di Pan, flauto dolce |
| Ελληνικά | φλάουτο fláouto |
| Română | flaut |
| Русский | фле́йта fléjta |
| Tiếng Việt | sáo |
| العربية | نَاي nāy |
| עברית | חָלִיל khalil, חלילית khalilit |
noun glass
| Español | copa de flauta |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | シャンパン・グラス |
| Português | flute |
| Français | flûte, flûte à champagne |
| Deutsch | Schaumweinglas, Sektglas, Champagnerglas, Tulpenglas, Kelch, Kelchglas |
| Italiano | flute, calice, flûte, fluttino, calice a tromba |
| Ελληνικά | as in French |
| Русский | фуже́р fužér |
| עברית | כוס שמפניה |
noun helical groove going up a drill bit
| Português | caneladura, canelura |
|---|---|
| Français | dent |
| Deutsch | Furche, Nut, Riefe, Rille, Spiralnut |
| Ελληνικά | σπείρα speíra |
noun architecture: vertical groove in a pillar
| Español | acanaladura, estría |
|---|---|
| Português | canelura, ranhura |
| Français | cannelure |
| Deutsch | Kannelierung, Kannelüre, Kannelur, Nut, Rille, Riefe |
| Italiano | scanalatura |
| Ελληνικά | αυλάκι avláki |
| Română | canelură |
| Русский | каннелю́ра kanneljúra, канелю́ра kaneljúra |
| العربية | أُخْدُود ʔuḵdūd |
| עברית | חריץ kharíts |
verb to play flute
| Français | flûter |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | flöten |
| Italiano | flautare, suonare il flauto |
| עברית | חילל khilél |
verb to form flutes
| Deutsch | riffeln, furchen, kannelieren, auskehlen, in Falten legen, nuten |
|---|
Talk about this word "flute." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flute. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. flute. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flute "flute." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flute.Cite this
@misc{flute_2026,
title = {flute},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flute},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
