Lutanist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A skilled performer of the lute can also be associated with the broader category of musicians, while often engaging in composing and arranging music for this specific string instrument
2. An individual dedicated to the lute may not only play its music but also contribute to the creation and arrangement of compositions for it
3. A person who plays the lute professionally often engages in both performing music and creating original works or arrangements related to this classical string instrument

Etymology: "Lutanist" is an alternative spelling of "lutenist," a player of the lute, the plucked instrument with a rounded body and fretted neck that was central to European music from the medieval period through the Renaissance and Baroque. The spelling with the "a" comes from Medieval Latin, where the instrument was called "lutana," and a musician who played it was a "lutanista." The Latin word itself came from Middle French "lut," the same root that gave English "lute." Structurally, the word is the noun "lute" with the "-n-" linking sound and the suffix "-ist," which denotes a person who practises or plays something, as in "pianist" or "violinist." The "-n-" is an added connecting consonant, so the word reads as "lute" plus "-ist" with a bridge between them. Both spellings, "lutanist" and "lutenist," share this same construction, and the "e" version is the one more commonly seen in modern English dictionaries and concert programmes.

Synonyms: lutenist, musician