Flute
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 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.
"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."
- 2 A kind of flyboat; a storeship.
- 3 a high-pitched woodwind instrument; a slender tube closed at one end with finger holes on one end and an opening near the closed end across which the breath is blown wordnet
- 4 A recorder, also a woodwind instrument. colloquial
- 5 a groove or furrow in cloth etc. (particularly a shallow concave groove on the shaft of a column) wordnet
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- 6 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."
- 7 a tall narrow wineglass wordnet
- 8 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.
- 9 A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.
- 10 A long French bread roll, baguette.
- 11 An organ stop with a flute-like sound.
- 12 A shuttle in weaving tapestry etc.
- 1 To play on a flute. intransitive
- 2 form flutes in wordnet
- 3 To make a flutelike sound. intransitive
"The green turf was velvet underfoot. The blackbirds fluted in the hazels there."
- 4 To utter with a flutelike sound. transitive
"“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."
- 5 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.). transitive
Example
More examples"If a fire should break out, I would make off with my flute."
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.
Compare French flûte (“a transport”)?, Dutch fluit.
Related phrases
More for "flute"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.