 Another mention of the fifth string was made by Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham in "Ḥāwī al-Funūn wa Salwat al-Maḥzūn".The ("") literally denotes a thin piece of wood similar to the shape of a straw.It may refer to the wooden plectrum traditionally used for playing the oud, to the thin strips of wood used for the back, or to the wooden soundboard that distinguishes it from similar instruments with skin-faced bodies.