n. A musical instrument of the flute or whistle class, in which the tone is produced by a stream of air striking against a sharp edge. It consists of a mouthpiece, usually a bulb in which the tone is produced, and a tube with six finger-holes. Its compass is a little more than two octaves upward from the G next above middle C. It is not now used in the orchestra. It is the representative of the ancient and medieval flute, its immediate precursor being the recorder. It is often called a flûte-à-bec, in distinction from the modern German or transverse flute. The penny whistle is a cheap form of it.n. In organ-building, a stop, usually of 2-feet tone, giving high fluty tones.