gut
gut Lexical Profile
gut Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The stomach, belly, or lower digestive tract of a human or animal, comprising the intestines and associated organs.
"Maintaining a balanced diet rich in fiber is essential for a healthy gut."
Personal courage, determination, and fortitude in the face of difficulty or danger (usually used in the plural).
"It took a lot of guts to stand up and speak the truth in front of the entire committee."
The seat of intuitive feelings, instincts, or deep-seated emotional reactions.
"Even though the financial figures looked promising on paper, she trusted her gut and walked away from the deal."
Strong, durable cord made from the prepared intestines of animals (such as sheep), used for the strings of musical instruments, sports rackets, and surgical sutures.
"Baroque violinists often prefer strings made of natural gut for their warm, resonant tone."
• adjective
Based on instinctive feeling or immediate emotional response rather than logical analysis or deliberation.
"My gut reaction to the business proposal was to decline it immediately."
• verb
To destroy or remove the interior fittings, contents, or structure of a building or room while leaving the outer shell intact.
"The contractors plan to gut the historic townhouse and rebuild the interior with modern plumbing and wiring."
To remove the internal organs and entrails from a fish or animal carcass before cooking or processing.
"The fisherman showed the apprentices how to scale and gut the freshly caught trout."
To severely weaken, deplete, or remove the essential, effective elements of an organization, law, or budget.
"Critics argued that the late amendments would effectively gut the environmental protection bill."
British To cause someone to feel bitterly disappointed, devastated, or upset (usually used in the passive).
"The players were utterly gutted after losing the championship final in the last minute of overtime."
• Rhymes for gut
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'guttas' (plural), meaning 'viscera' or 'bowels', ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic root '*geutan', meaning 'to pour' (referring to the digestive tract as a channel). It shares an ancient linguistic root with the English verb 'gush' and the noun 'gutter'.