# gut

Pronunciation: say "GUT" /ɡʌt/

## Noun

1. The body's alimentary canal, especially the intestines, where food is digested.
   - Simple: The tube inside your body that food passes through after you eat.
   - _Doctors examined her gut for signs of inflammation._
   - _A healthy gut absorbs nutrients efficiently._
3. A person's instinctive, emotional inner self, the seat of strong feelings.
   - Simple: The deep inner feelings that tell you something without clear reasons.
   - _Her gut warned her not to sign the contract._
   - _Deep in his gut, he knew the answer was no._
4. A person's belly, especially a large or protruding one. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The belly, especially a large or round one.
   - _He sucked in his gut before the photo._
   - _The doctor warned that his growing gut raised real health risks._
8. Cord made from the intestines of animals, used for the strings of musical instruments and sports rackets.
   - Simple: Strong cord made from animal intestines, used for violin strings and tennis rackets.
   - _Players once restrung their rackets with gut every few weeks._
   - _Gut produces a warmer tone than steel on a violin._
11. A narrow channel or passage of water, such as a strait between two landmasses.
   - Simple: A narrow channel of water between two pieces of land.
   - _The ferry threaded the gut between the two islands at high tide._
   - _A strong current runs through the gut twice a day._
12. An academic class that is easy and demands little effort or study. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: An easy class that takes little work to pass.
   - _She filled her last semester with guts to keep her stress low._
   - _The professor's seminar has a reputation as a gut._
10. Bravery and firm resolve, particularly when facing a difficult or unpleasant task.
   - Simple: Being brave and strong-minded enough to do something hard or unpleasant.
   - _Few politicians have the guts to vote against their own party._
   - _Quitting a stable job to start a business takes real guts._

## Verb

2. To strip away or destroy the most essential parts of something.
   - Simple: To take out or wreck the most important parts of something.
   - _The renovation gutted the building down to its bare frame._
   - _Lawmakers fear the amendment will gut the bill's core protections._
6. To remove the internal organs of an animal, especially before cooking.
   - Simple: To take out the insides, especially the organs, of an animal.
   - _Hunters gut the deer in the field to cool the carcass quickly._
   - _She gutted the trout with a single practiced cut._
7. To dishearten someone deeply, crushing their confidence and spirits.
   - Simple: To make someone lose all hope or courage.
   - _The rejection letter gutted her after months of hope._
   - _News like that can gut even the most resilient person._

## Adjective

5. Driven by instinct and immediate feeling rather than conscious reasoning.
   - Simple: Coming from quick feelings rather than careful thought.
   - _The detective followed a gut feeling to the abandoned warehouse._
   - _Trading on a gut instinct, she sold all her shares._
9. Made of gut, the strong cord prepared from animal intestines.
   - Simple: Made from animal gut, as some strings and cords are.
   - _The musician tuned each gut string with great care._
   - _Gut strings sound warmer but break more easily than nylon ones._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A strong thread drawn from the silk sac of a silkworm, used as part of a fishing line.

## Origin

From Middle English "gut" (also "gutte," "gotte"), from Old English "gutt" (usually used in the plural "guttas" meaning "guts, entrails") going back to Proto-Germanic "*gut-" and Proto-Indo-European "*ǵʰewd-" ("to pour"). It is related to English "gote" ("drain") and Old English "ġēotan" ("to pour"); the verb comes from Middle English "gutten."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gut (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).