Gutter
/ˈɡʌtər/noun
A channel or trough for carrying off rainwater, or a low, dirty, or neglected place.
Did you know?The English word entered from Old French, and its deeper roots are usually traced to a Latin word for a flowing or pouring channel, not to anything supernatural despite its grim modern associations.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰew-
“to pour, flow, or stream”
Latin
Latin
gutta
“a drop”
Late Latin
Latin
guttāria
“a gutter, channel, or trough for liquid”
Old French
Old French
goutiere
“a gutter or water channel”
Middle English
English
goter, gutter
“a channel for carrying off water”
Modern English
English
gutter
“a channel for rainwater or a low, filthy place”