Ude
/uːd/noun
A variant spelling of oud, a pear-shaped Middle Eastern stringed instrument.
Did you know?The word entered European languages through forms such as Arabic ʿūd, Spanish laúd, and French luth, ultimately influencing the English word “lute.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ʿūd
“Wood, stick, or wooden object; later the name of a wooden-bodied string instrument”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-ʿūd
“The oud, literally “the wood””
13th–14th Century
Spanish
laúd
“A lute-like stringed instrument, borrowed from Arabic”
17th Century
French
luth
“Lute; a related European form of the Arabic instrument name”
Modern English
English
ude
“A variant spelling of oud”