oud

American

[ood] / ud /

noun

a musical instrument of the Middle East and northern Africa belonging to the lute family.

oud British

/ uːd /

noun

an Arabic stringed musical instrument resembling a lute or mandolin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of oud

1730–40; < Arabic ʿūd literally, wood; lute ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He used to play the oud - his favourite instrument - but this requires two hands.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2024

But throughout his career he showed a knack for wringing emotion not only from the violin, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer and autoharp, but also from the Indian tanpura, the Middle Eastern oud and the Turkish saz.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

Around this time, Lindley struck up a partnership with Hani Naser, recording a series of albums with the Jordanian oud player.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2023

Somali music is distinctive - it has the rich sound of the oud, other stringed instruments, drums and empowering lyrics that come from the country's oral story-telling tradition and love of poetry.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2023

Even with her arthritic fingers, Abuela strums the oud nimbly.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023