noun

A kind of bass lute with a scallop-shaped body and metal strings, typical of English consorts of the late 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the commonest consorts in the Elizabethan period was the combination of treble viol or violin, flute or recorder, bass viol, lute, cittern, and bandora, for which Morley wrote his Consort Lessons in 1599.