HAUTBOY, a wind musical instrument, shaped much like the lute, only that it spreads and widens towards the bottom, and is sounded through a reed. The treble is two feet long, and the tenor goes a fifth lower when blown open; it has only eight holes, but the bass, which is five feet long, has eleven. The word is French, haut bois, or high wood; and this name is given to this instrument because the tone of it is higher than that of the violin.