gutter
verb/ˈɡʌtə(r)/
/ˈɡʌtər/
[intransitive] (literary)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they gutter | /ˈɡʌtə(r)/ /ˈɡʌtər/ |
| he / she / it gutters | /ˈɡʌtəz/ /ˈɡʌtərz/ |
| past simple guttered | /ˈɡʌtəd/ /ˈɡʌtərd/ |
| past participle guttered | /ˈɡʌtəd/ /ˈɡʌtərd/ |
| -ing form guttering | /ˈɡʌtərɪŋ/ /ˈɡʌtərɪŋ/ |
- (of a flame or candle) to burn in an unsteady way
- The candle guttered in the wind.
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.Definitions on the go
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gutter