What family is the lute from?

The Lute was an instrument developed and used in the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods (roughly 1100-1750) in Europe. The Word Lute comes from the Word Oud which is Arabic for wood. The Oud is itself an instrument, and could be considered the predecessor of the Lute. It is associated with middle eastern music.

The Lute fell out of favor with the developement of the vihuela, and later the guitar. Within the past 40 or 50 years there has been a revival in early music, and the lute is again growing in populairty.