oud (o?od)n. A stringed musical instrument of northern Africa and southwest Asia resembling a lute.[Arabic ‘?d, wood, stem, lute, oud.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.oud (u?d) n (Instruments) an Arabic stringed musical instrument resembling a lute or mandolin[from Arabic al `?d, literally: the wood. Compare lute1]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014oud (ud) n. a musical instrument of the Middle East and N Africa belonging to the lute family. [1730?40;