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Webster 1913 Edition


Flute

Flute

,
Noun.
[OE.
floute
,
floite
, fr. OF.
flaüte
,
flahute
,
flahuste
, F.
fl[GREEK]te
; cf. LL.
flauta
, D.
fluit
. See
Flute
,
Verb.
I.
]
1.
A musical wind instrument, consisting of a hollow cylinder or pipe, with holes along its length, stopped by the fingers or by keys which are opened by the fingers. The modern flute is closed at the upper end, and blown with the mouth at a lateral hole.
The breathing
flute’s
soft notes are heard around.
Pope.
2.
(Arch.)
A channel of curved section; – usually applied to one of a vertical series of such channels used to decorate columns and pilasters in classical architecture. See Illust. under
Base
,
Noun.
3.
A similar channel or groove made in wood or other material, esp. in plaited cloth, as in a lady's ruffle.
4.
A long French breakfast roll.
Simonds.
5.
A stop in an organ, having a flutelike sound.
Flute bit
,
a boring tool for piercing ebony, rosewood, and other hard woods.
Flute pipe
,
an organ pipe having a sharp lip or wind-cutter which imparts vibrations to the column of air in the pipe.
Knight.

Flute

(flūt)
,
Noun.
[Cf. F.
flûte
a transport, D.
fluit
.]
A kind of flyboat; a storeship.
Armed en flûte
(Nav.)
,
partially armed.

Flute

,
Verb.
I.
[OE.
flouten
,
floiten
, OF.
flaüter
,
fleüter
,
flouster
, F.
flûter
, cf. D.
fluiten
; ascribed to an assumed LL.
flautare
,
flatuare
, fr. L.
flatus
a blowing, fr.
flare
to blow. Cf.
Flout
,
Flageolet
,
Flatulent
.]
To play on, or as on, a flute; to make a flutelike sound.

Flute

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Fluted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Fluting
.]
1.
To play, whistle, or sing with a clear, soft note, like that of a flute.
Knaves are men,
That lute and
flute
fantastic tenderness.
Tennyson.
The redwing
flutes
his o-ka-lee.
Emerson.
2.
To form flutes or channels in, as in a column, a ruffle, etc.

Webster 1828 Edition


Flute

FLUTE

,
Noun.
[L. flo, flatus, to blow, or L. fluta, a lamprey, with the same number of holes.]
1.
A small wind instrument; a pipe with lateral holes or stops, played by blowing with the mouth, and by stopping and opening the holes with the fingers.
2.
A channel in a column or pillar; a perpendicular furrow or cavity, cut along the shaft of a column or pilaster; so called from its resemblance to a flute. It is used chiefly in the Ionic order; sometimes in the Composite and Corinthian; rarely in the Doric and Tuscan. It is called also a reed.
3.
A long vessel or boat, with flat ribs or floor timbers, round behind, and swelled in the middle; a different orthography of float, flota.
Armed in flute. An armed ship, with her guns of the lower tier and part of those of the upper tier removed, used as a transport, is said to be armed in flute.

FLUTE

,
Verb.
I.
To play on a flute.

FLUTE

,
Verb.
T.
To form flutes or channels in a column.

Definition 2024


flute

flute

See also: flûte and flûté

English

Noun

flute (woodwind instrument)

flute (plural flutes)

  1. (music) 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.
    • Alexander Pope
      The 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 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
  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.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Simmonds to this entry?)
  6. An organ stop with a flute-like sound.
Derived terms
Related terms
Synonyms
  • (as a specific instrument, a transverse, side-blown flute): Western concert flute
  • (as a general category of musical instruments): edge-blown aerophone
References
Translations
See also

Verb

fluted pillars

flute (third-person singular simple present flutes, present participle fluting, simple past and past participle fluted)

  1. (intransitive) To play on a flute.
  2. (intransitive) To make a flutelike sound.
  3. (transitive) To utter with a flutelike sound.
  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
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Noun

flute (plural flutes)

  1. A kind of flyboat; a storeship.

French

Noun

flute f (plural flutes)

  1. Alternative spelling of flûte

Usage notes

This spelling was a product of the 1990 French spelling reforms.


German

Verb

flute

  1. First-person singular present of fluten.
  2. First-person singular subjunctive I of fluten.
  3. Third-person singular subjunctive I of fluten.
  4. Imperative singular of fluten.