Dictionary

rutter en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹʌtə/ (UK)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈɹədəɹ/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch ruter, rutter, variants of ruiter, from Middle French routier (“mercenary soldier”), corresponding to route + ier; see rout.

Meanings

1. (historical) A horseman or cavalryman, especially a German one, associated with the wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.
   • Such a regiment of rutters / Never defied men braver c. 1611, John Fletcher, The Woman's Prize, Act I, scene iv:

Forms

rutter en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹʌtə/ (UK)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈɹədəɹ/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle French routier, corresponding to route + -ier.

Meanings

1. (historical) A set of instructions for navigating a course at sea; a pilot's book or seaman's guide.
   • But a rutter was only as good as the pilot who wrote it, the scribe who hand-copied it, the very rare printer who printed it, or the scholar who translated it. 1975, James Clavell, Shōgun, Random House, published 2009, page 13:

Forms

Translations (4)

fi reittiopas (a pilot book) · fr routier (a pilot book) · pl książka z instrukcjami (a pilot book) · nl logboek or scheepsjournaal (a pilot book)

rutter en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹʌtə/ (UK)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈɹədəɹ/ (US)

Etymology

From rut + -er.

Meanings

1. (Scotland) A tool used in peat cutting or for marking off ground.
2. (Canada, US, historical) A type of plough used by lumberjacks to carve a track for a sleigh.
3. (slang) The penis.
   • She moved my rutter so that it was not poking into her. We fell asleep. 2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 321:

Forms

Relateds

Rut