What does oud mean?
An oud is a traditional stringed instrument belonging to the lute family. It has a rounded, pear-shaped wooden body, a short neck, and a fretless fingerboard, and its strings are normally plucked with a plectrum. The instrument is especially associated with Arab, Turkish, Persian, Greek, and broader Middle Eastern and North African musical traditions, although oud players and ensembles are now found throughout the world. Its pitch range and fretless construction make it well suited to rapid ornaments, expressive melodies, and modal improvisation. In English, oud may be used without qualification when the instrument or tradition is already clear; modifiers such as Arabic are common when distinguishing it from related instruments. Although often described as an Arabic lute, the oud is not simply a European lute in another setting: its body shape, fretless fingerboard, tuning traditions, and characteristic playing techniques distinguish it from many other members of the lute family.
nounA pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument of the lute family, traditionally played with a plectrum and used in Arab, Turkish, Persian, Greek, and related musical traditions.
- A traditional Middle Eastern pear-shaped stringed instrument with a fretless fingerboard, played with a plectrum.
"The musician gently plucked the oud as the melody drifted into the evening."
"She learned the oud by studying traditional Arabic maqamat."
"An oud and several percussion instruments accompanied the singer."
The regular plural is ouds.
"Several ouds were arranged on stands before the concert."
The name oud comes from Arabic al-ʿūd, meaning “the wood,” a reference to the instrument’s wooden body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does oud come from?
The English word oud comes from Arabic al-ʿūd (العود), through an older transliteration that commonly wrote the initial Arabic article al- as an o. Arabic al-ʿūd literally means “the wood” and refers to the wooden stick or branch from which the instrument’s name is traditionally explained. The instrument was borrowed into European languages during the period of extensive Arabic and Mediterranean cultural exchange. Spanish laúd preserves the same Arabic source and is a recognized cognate of oud.
How oud is actually used
The spelling oud is now standard in English. In music and cultural writing, it is commonly paired with regional or traditional labels such as Arabic, Turkish, or Middle Eastern oud.