Flau'to (flou'to) noun [ Italian ] A flute. Flaute piccolo [ Italian , little flute], an octave flute. -- Flauto traverso [ Italian , transverse flute], the German flute, held laterally, instead of being played, like the old flûte à bec , with a mouth piec... Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/F/40