Chute
/ʃuːt/noun
A sloping channel or passage for things to slide down; also a parachute.
Did you know?Chute comes from French chute, meaning “a fall,” from the verb chuter, so the word’s core idea is literally motion downward rather than a magical or occult origin.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
L. cadere
cadere
“to fall”
Late Latin
LL. cadere
cadere
“to fall, drop”
Old French
OF. chute
chute
“a fall, a collapse”
17th Century
French
chute
“a fall; a waterfall; a drop or descent”
18th Century
English
chute
“a sloping channel for conveying things downward; later, a parachute”