From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).
Meanings
(derogatory, figuratively, informal) Vulgar, sordid, or low-class.
The "greatest" controversy came when Farrakhan was accused of calling Judaism a "gutter religion". Farrakhan says he never used the word "gutter." 1996, A. Marshall, Louis Farrakhan, Made in America, page 143:
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Translations (15)
fi lepattaa (to flicker as if about to be extinguished) · fi asentaa ränni (to supply with a gutter or gutters) · uk розпла́витися (of a candle: to melt away) · fi valua (to flow or stream; to form gutters) · bg капя (of a candle: to melt away) · bg правя канавки (to supply with a gutter or gutters) · uk текти́ (to flow or stream; to form gutters) · de ausspülen (to flow or stream; to form gutters) · uk мерехті́ти (to flicker as if about to be extinguished) · gv sheel (to flow or stream; to form gutters) · fi virrata (to flow or stream; to form gutters) · fi valua (of a candle: to melt away) · fi ojittaa (to supply with a gutter or gutters) · fi heittää ränniin (to send a bowling ball into a gutter) · uk розплавля́тися (of a candle: to melt away)
From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).
Meanings
A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
They a not so clean as they might be, since the water [is] carried off by only one gutter, in the centre of t[he] street 1836, Charles F. Partington, “Paris”, in The British Cyclopaedia of Literature, History, Geography, Law and Politics, page 202:
A ditch along the side of a road.
Meltwater gathered in the icy ruts of the unpaved road, the pressure wearing thin channels in the packed snow. Along the gutter the rivulets of spring runoff cut a course to the storm sewer 2011, Judith Duncan, Murphy's Child:
In nearly all of the towns the gutters are filled with vegetation, or have been neglected for so long a time that the roadway becomes its own drainage bed. 1902, Massachusetts Highway Commission, Annual Report of the Massachusetts Highway Commission, volume 9:
‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared.[…]’ 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
As Mike parked the vehicle, its right wheels sank into an unpaved gutter gradually worn irregular and deep by the rush of rainwater flowing down the street. 2006, Henry Clark, Trophy Boy, page 122:
Gutters separated the sidewalk from the road on both sides and flowed with muddy water. 2008, Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns:
A duct or channel beneath the eaves of a building to carry rain water; eavestrough.
The gutters must be cleared of leaves a few times a year.
A groove down the sides of a bowling lane.
You can decide to use the bumpers to avoid the ball going down the gutter every time.
A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.
Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.
A space between printed columns of text.
One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.
An unprinted space between rows of stamps.
(UK) A drainage channel.
The notional locus of things, acts, or events that are distasteful, ill-bred, or morally questionable.
Nosei (Löwensohn): This is Tom and Cynthia Kruger. / Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright): I heard. / Nosei: This is Jean-Michel Basquiat. / Tom Kruger (Chuck Pfeiffer): Hi. / Nosei: You've seen the SAMO graffiti everywhere – that's his. This is the true voice of the gutter. 1996, Julian Schnabel, Basquiat, spoken by Annina Nosei (Elina Löwensohn), United States: Eleventh Street Productions; distributed by Miramax Films:
(figuratively) A low, vulgar state.
Lord Darlington. No, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. 1892, Oscar Wilde, “Act III”, in Lady Windermere's Fan […] :
What kind of gutter language is that? I ought to wash your mouth out with soap.
it canale di scolo (ditch along the side of road) · ja 溝 (ditch along the side of road) · es canalón (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ms longkang (ditch along the side of road) · uk кана́ва (drainage channel) · mi kōrere (prepared channel in a surface) · tr su yolu (prepared channel in a surface) · fi katuoja (ditch along the side of road) · gl viela (any narrow channel or groove) · fr caniveau (ditch along the side of road) · es desagüe (prepared channel in a surface) · id talang (drainage channel) · de Rinnstein (prepared channel in a surface) · de Rinne (ditch along the side of road) · bg улей (groove beside a bowling lane) · cy rhigol (any narrow channel or groove) · de Straßengraben (ditch along the side of road) · kea jarós (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ja 排水溝 (ditch along the side of road) · sco rone (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · es canelón (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · cs okap (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · cy sianel (any narrow channel or groove) · mi kōrere (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · it caditoia (prepared channel in a surface) · fi oja (drainage channel) · uk кана́вка (any narrow channel or groove) · pox reńa (prepared channel in a surface) · gl desaugadoiro (prepared channel in a surface) · gl gavia (ditch along the side of road) · de Kanal (drainage channel) · fi kouru (groove beside a bowling lane) · sh oluk (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl grova (any narrow channel or groove) · gl quenlla (groove beside a bowling lane) · uk водості́к (prepared channel in a surface) · cy cafn (drainage channel) · cy cwter (prepared channel in a surface) · he מַזְחִילָה (ditch along the side of road) · cy ffos (ditch along the side of road) · de Dachrinne (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · da spalteafstand (space between columns in text) · it canale di drenaggio (ditch along the side of road) · it cunetta (ditch along the side of road) · ru кана́ва (ditch along the side of road) · da grøft (ditch along the side of road) · hu hasábköz (space between columns in text) · ta சாக்கடை (drainage channel) · fr chéneau (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · it margine interno (philately: unprinted space between rows of stamps) · fi oja (ditch along the side of road) · de Rinne (prepared channel in a surface) · ota ناو (prepared channel in a surface) · gl caenlla (groove beside a bowling lane) · pt calha (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · bg канавка (prepared channel in a surface) · hi गटर (ditch along the side of road) · fi kouru (prepared channel in a surface) · hi गटर (prepared channel in a surface) · ca canal (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fr gouttière (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · pt algeroz (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · it interstizio (space between columns in text) · gl beirada (ditch along the side of road) · gl pingante (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl convanca (ditch along the side of road) · gl dexurro (groove for collection and removal of animal excrement) · nl dakgoot (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi lantakouru (groove for collection and removal of animal excrement) · fa ناودان (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi ura (any narrow channel or groove) · it intervallo (philately: unprinted space between rows of stamps) · vi rãnh (ditch along the side of road) · uk кана́ва (ditch along the side of road) · he מַזְחִילָה (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · de Regenrinne (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · he תעלת ניקוז (drainage channel) · gl pinguela (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · tr oluk (ditch along the side of road) · gl cavorca (any narrow channel or groove) · ru кюве́т (ditch along the side of road) · eo defluilo (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · hi कंठ (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · it grondaia (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi sadevesikouru (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · uk кана́ва (prepared channel in a surface) · da kanal (prepared channel in a surface) · cy clawdd (ditch along the side of road) · el υπόνομος (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ota میزاب (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl rego (any narrow channel or groove) · sh žleb (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ar مِزْراب (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ca corondell cec (space between columns in text) · pt sarjeta (ditch along the side of road) · fi ränni (groove beside a bowling lane) · es canaleta (ditch along the side of road) · hu ereszcsatorna (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ca canal (groove beside a bowling lane) · la canālis (ditch along the side of road) · cmn 排水溝 /排水沟 (ditch along the side of road) · de Drainage (drainage channel) · tr oluk (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · pt canaleta (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · hi गटर (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl birta (drainage channel) · mk олук (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · pl rynsztok (prepared channel in a surface) · es medianil (space between columns in text) · fi deekis (low, vulgar state) · de Gang (any narrow channel or groove) · pt valeta (ditch along the side of road) · grc χολέδρα (ditch along the side of road) · pt canaleta (groove beside a bowling lane) · la dēlicia (prepared channel in a surface) · no grøft (ditch along the side of road) · sv ränna (groove beside a bowling lane) · es canaleta (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · bg улу́к m водосто́к (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi kouru (any narrow channel or groove) · tl alulod (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · bg канавка (ditch along the side of road) · ro jgheab (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · pt agueiro (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · sk stoka (low, vulgar state) · ru жёлоб (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · it botola (ditch along the side of road) · gl márdeña (groove for collection and removal of animal excrement) · fr dalot (groove beside a bowling lane) · gd clais (ditch along the side of road) · mi kōrere wai (prepared channel in a surface) · sv rännsten (ditch along the side of road) · nb takrenne (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl gavia (any narrow channel or groove) · tr yağmur oluğu (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · nn takrenne (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · ko 거터 (groove beside a bowling lane) · es cuneta (ditch along the side of road) · it zanella (ditch along the side of road) · hu árok (ditch along the side of road) · es acequia (drainage channel) · fi ränni (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · de Nut (any narrow channel or groove) · ja ガター (groove beside a bowling lane) · vec górna (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · de Spaltenabstand (space between columns in text) · uk водості́к (drainage channel) · ta சாக்கடை (low, vulgar state) · fi marginaali (philately: unprinted space between rows of stamps) · de Entwässerungskanal (drainage channel) · uk жо́лоб (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · uk водості́к (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · pl rynna (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi katuoja (low, vulgar state) · mr गटार (ditch along the side of road) · sv takränna (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · gl rego (drainage channel) · da tagrende (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · hi परनाला (prepared channel in a surface) · ga silteán (ditch along the side of road) · grc χολέδρα (prepared channel in a surface) · fi viemäri (locus of something distasteful or morally questionable) · it botola di drenaggio (ditch along the side of road) · sh олук (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · hi पनारा (prepared channel in a surface) · tl bambang (prepared channel in a surface) · mk одводен ров (ditch along the side of road) · nl goot (ditch along the side of road) · fa جوب (ditch along the side of road) · pa ਖੁਰਾ (prepared channel in a surface) · ca cuneta (ditch along the side of road) · de Graben (ditch along the side of road) · id talang (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · de Gosse (prepared channel in a surface) · vi máng xối (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · fi palstaväli (space between columns in text) · ca canaló (prepared channel in a surface) · pl rynsztok (locus of something distasteful or morally questionable) · hi हलक (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · id talang (prepared channel in a surface) · id got (ditch along the side of road) · ota اولق (duct or channel beneath the eaves) · uk ри́нва (prepared channel in a surface) · pl rynsztok (low, vulgar state) · de Gosse (low, vulgar state)
From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).
Meanings
To flow or stream; to form gutters.
(of a candle) To melt away by having the molten wax run down along the side of the candle.
(of a small flame, of eyes, qualifier:or poetically) To flicker as if about to be extinguished.
Alex's eyes gutter, and his face goes cold. He stands there mutely through my apology, stiff and frozen. I want to touch him, but I'm scared he'll flinch away. 2023 October 10, Clare Gilmore, Love Interest: A Novel, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN:
The light in his eyes guttered like a candle in a mighty wind and finally went out. She had no time to grieve[…] 2020 November 16, Emma Castle, Devastate Me: A Next-door Neighbor Romance, Lauren Smith, →ISBN:
(transitive) To send (a bowling ball) into the gutter, not hitting any pins.
(transitive) To supply with a gutter or gutters.
A narrow flooring, guttered, walled, and tiled. 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
(transitive) To cut or form into small longitudinal hollows; to channel.
The gutter'd-Rockes, and Congregated Sands, c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
(intransitive, uncommon) To worsen considerably.
The patient's state would soon gutter.
The students' performance guttered after the school event.
Etymology tree
English gut
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Proto-Italic *-āzios
Latin -āriusnom.
Latin -āriusbor.
Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
Old English -ere
Middle English -ere
English -er
English gutter
From gut + -er.
Meanings
One who or that which guts.
An old, rusty coat hanger made a rudimentary fish-gutter. 2013, Don Keith, Shelley Stewart, Mattie C.'s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story, page 34:
A Galilean Rabbi? When did this Province of diggers in dirt and gutters of fish send forth Rabbis? Thou makest a jest. 1921, Bernie Babcock, The Coming of the King, page 151: