What does aulos mean?
The aulos was the most widespread and influential wind instrument of ancient Greece, a reed-blown pipe usually made of wood, bone, or ivory and very often played in matched pairs, one held in each hand. Though its sound is often described as penetrating and even shrill, it occupied a central place in Greek life: it accompanied choral song in tragedy, animated athletic contests, marked weddings and funerals, and featured prominently in the worship of Dionysus. Skilled players called auletes could earn fame and prize money, and professional aulos performance became a celebrated — and sometimes criticized — art. Modern scholars have reconstructed the instrument from archaeological finds and vase paintings, and its legacy survives indirectly in later reed instruments such as the oboe. The word itself comes from the Greek "aulos," meaning tube or pipe.
nounAn ancient Greek wind instrument consisting of a cylindrical pipe (often played in pairs) fitted with a double reed, used in festivals, rituals, theater, and private entertainment.
- An ancient Greek double-reed woodwind instrument, typically played in pairs (auloi), associated with Dionysiac worship, theater, athletics, and everyday festivity.
"The piper's aulos wailed across the agora as the procession approached the temple."
"Archaeologists at the Athenian agora uncovered fragments of an aulos dating to the fifth century BCE."
"In classical drama, the aulete's piercing aulos accompanied the chorus as it danced across the orchestra."
The plural retains the Greek ending "-oi," standard for learned borrowings from Greek second-declension nouns.
"Museum displays of auloi allow visitors to compare pipes of bone, bronze, and reed."
The aulos was so raucous that Plato wanted it banned from his ideal city — yet this 'scandalous' pipe was played at nearly every wedding, funeral, and athletic contest in ancient Greece.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aulos
"Aulos" comes directly from the Ancient Greek "αὐλός" (aulós), meaning "tube" or "pipe," a word applied both to the musical instrument and to hollow conduits generally. It entered English scholarly usage through Latin transliteration during the Renaissance revival of Greek studies. The same Greek root lies behind "hydraulic," which descends from "hydraulos," a water-driven pipe organ of the Hellenistic world.
Related word forms
How aulos is actually used
"Aulos" is a scholarly and musicological term, encountered mainly in discussions of ancient Greek music, archaeology, and classics. The plural "auloi" follows the Greek declension. Because surviving depictions show it often played in pairs, writers frequently refer to "the double aulos."
Easily confused with aulos
"Auld" is a Scots word meaning "old" (as in "Auld Lang Syne"), while an aulos is an ancient Greek reed instrument.
An "aula" is a large hall or courtyard (especially in Spanish- and German-speaking contexts), whereas an aulos is a musical instrument.