1. trans. To coat with lute, esp. to cover (a crucible, etc.) with lute as a protection against fire; to close or stop with or as with lute (an orifice or joint); to stop with lute the cracks or joints of (a vessel). Also with about, up.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIX. xxxi. (1495), 878. Ocra brente Rede in newe crockes wel stoppyd and lutyd wyth newe claye.
1562. Bulleyn, Dial. Soarnes & Chir., 25 b. Then ye shall lute the gappe, or mouthe of the vaines … with this medicen.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., II. 4. Before they distill, luting the Limbeck.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 67/1. Put this … in a nue pot, and lute the same verye close.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 520. The better way is to lute it well, and close with clay.
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia, II. 33. Their small boats, made of the barkes of trees, sowed with barke and well luted with gumme.
1639. T. de Gray, Compl. Horsem., 349. Make a cake of clay and therewith lute up the pot.
1661. Lovell, Hist. Anim. & Min., 135. They make their nests of a longish hemispherical figure, of little twigs, and then lute them.
1662. Hobbes, Consid. (1680), 52. I admire them when I see them lute an Alembick handsomely.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 86/1. To Lute about the Oven stock with Clay … to keep the heat in.
1756. C. Lucas, Ess. Waters, I. 59. Having luted the junctures … let the fire be gradually administered.
1763–6. W. Lewis, Comm. Phil.-Techn., 7. There is no occasion for the hoop being luted.
1854. H. Miller, Sch. & Schm., vii. 65. Producing gas by means of a tobacco pipe luted with clay.
1858. Hogg, Life Shelley, II. 424. Luting his retorts with pipe clay.
1893. Chamb. Jrnl., 29 July, 479/1. These he places in an earthen vessel, which he lutes with moist earth.
fig. 1627. Donne, Serm., xliv. 440. Except the Lord open them [thy lips], it were better they were luted with the clay of the grave.
1650. R. Stapylton, Strada’s Low C. Warres, X. 6. [They] had their eares … luted against the sound of Peace.
2. To fasten or fix with or as with lute; also with about, down, in, on, together, up; occas. with complement. Const. † against, into, to, unto. Said also of the luting material.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of A., II. xiv. 118. And luted theym wyth dong and stones ayenst the walles.
1563. T. Gale, Antidot., II. 88. Put them … in to a still of glasse, and put his heade on it, & lute them well together.
1641. French, Distill., i. (1651), 40. Lute it well thereunto.
1666. Boyle, Orig. Formes & Qual., 422. Then pour out the Mixture into a tall Glass Cucurbite, to which lute on a Head and a Receiver.
1668. R. L’Estrange, Vis. Quev. (1708), 48. A large Glass-Bottle, wherein was Luted up … a famous Necromancer.
1727. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Distillation of Oil, Cover the Vessel, and adapt its Helm to it; lute ’em very well together with the Whites of Eggs and Flower.
1796. Kirwan, Elem. Min. (ed. 2), II. 87. Place the mixture in a Crucible … to which a cover should be luted.
1819. Southey, in Q. Rev., XXI. 387. M. de Thury … opened the masonry of these wells, and luted into the opening the upper half of a broken bottle.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 212/2. After charging them with the crude ore, the lids were luted down.
1881. Tait, in Nature, XXV. 126. In the neck of the steel cylinder … there was luted a vertical glass tube.
transf. and fig. 1650. Charleton, Paradoxes, 103. Paracelsus was fast luted in his grave … about the year of Christs Incarnation 1541.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. xi. 118. It was a wooden structure firmly luted to its frozen base.
