lute family

The term "lute" can refer to a broad category of plucked or bowed chordophones where strings run parallel to the soundboard along a distinct neck. This definition includes instruments like the Indian sitar, the violin (a bowed lute), and the guitar (a plucked lute).1

In Europe, "lute" specifically denotes a plucked string instrument popular during the 16th and 17th centuries. This European lute evolved from the Arab ʿūd, introduced to Europe in the 13th century. It is characterized by a deep, pear-shaped body, a neck with a backward-angled pegbox, and strings attached to a bridge on the soundboard. Early European lutes had four strings, but by the 16th century, they typically featured six courses of strings, tuned in a specific arrangement. Playing was done with the fingers, and music was written in tablature. By the 18th century, keyboard instruments surpassed the lute in popularity, though it experienced a revival in the 20th century.1