Lute
The lute in five languages — lute, liuto, Laute and luth, and its ties to the pipa and sitar
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Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 鲁特琴（琉特琴） |
| English | lute |
| Italian | liuto |
| German | Laute |
| French | luth |
The lute is a European family of plucked instruments, at its height in the Renaissance and Baroque. It has a pear-shaped body, a bent-back pegbox and paired courses, played with a plectrum or the fingers. English lute comes via Old French luth from Arabic al-ud (the usual account); Italian liuto, German Laute and French luth share the same root.
Watch out: lute names a family — medieval, Renaissance and theorbo among others — not one instrument, and both 鲁特琴 and 琉特琴 are current in Chinese. Pipa is often translated "Chinese lute", but that is only an analogy: body, strings and technique all differ.
Read deeper → Lute
Sources
- 各语种名称、词源与形制，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Lute"；译名参通行音乐术语词典；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.