gutter
noun/ˈɡʌtə(r)/
/ˈɡʌtər/
- [countable] a long curved channel made of metal or plastic that is fixed under the edge of a roof to carry away the water when it rains
- a blocked/leaking gutter
- [countable] a channel at the edge of a road where water collects and is carried away to drains
- I stepped off the pavement and walked in the gutter.
- the gutter[singular] the bad social conditions or low moral standards sometimes connected with the lowest level of society
- She rose from the gutter to become a great star.
- the language of the gutter (= using swear words)
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French gotiere, from Latin gutta ‘a drop’; the verb dates from late Middle English, originally meaning ‘cut grooves in’ and later (early 18th cent.) used of a candle which melts rapidly because it has become channelled on one side.
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gutter