Rut
/rʌt/noun
A deep track or groove worn in a surface by repeated travel or use.
Did you know?Rut entered English in the 16th century from a word meaning a groove or track, and it later helped inspire the modern idea of being “stuck in a rut” — trapped by repetition, as if your life has carved its own path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reu-
“to tear, cut, or scrape”
Latin
Latin
rūta
“a track, groove, or channel”
Old French
Old French
rute
“a track or path”
16th Century
English
rut
“a groove or track worn by wheels or repeated passage”
19th Century
English
stuck in a rut
“fixed in a monotonous routine or pattern”