The ou (Arabic: عود ʿūd; Somali: Kaban; Persian: بربط barbat; Turkish: ud or ut;Greek: ούτι; Armenian: ուդ, Azeri: ud; Hebrew: עוד ud) is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument, which is often seen as the predecessor of the western lute, distinguished primarily by being without frets, commonly used in Middle Eastern music.