gutter
GUT-er
/ˈɡʌt.ər/
A shallow trough fixed along the eaves of a roof to catch and divert rainwater away from a building.
In building maintenance, gutters protect structural foundations, topsoil, and exterior siding from localized water erosion and splash damage.
The story behind the word. Entered English via Anglo-Norman 'goutiere', stemming from Latin 'gutta', meaning 'a drop of liquid'. Roman builders used 'guttae' channels to catch water drops spilling from terracotta roof tiles.
Word relationships
- trough: Trough refers to any open vessel holding liquids or animal feed, while gutter specifically denotes roof runoff channels.
Commonly confused with
- downspout: Gutters run horizontally along eaves to collect rain; downspouts carry that water vertically down to the drainage ground.
Word family
- guttering (noun): The system of gutters and drainage components on a roof.
Collocations
- seamless gutter
- gutter guard
- clogged gutter
- rain gutter
Idioms & expressions
- in the gutter
Example sentences
- "Autumn leaves clogged the seamless aluminum gutter, causing rainwater to cascade over the front porch." Seasonal home maintenance
- "Workers installed leaf guards over the gutters to eliminate the need for dangerous biannual cleaning ladder work." Exterior upgrade quote
Memory hook
GUTTERS catch liquid GUTTAS (drops) falling off the eave. Roof runoff trough.
When not to use
Do not confuse open gutters with enclosed downspout pipes, which carry water vertically down walls.
Fun facts
- In graphic design and typography, the blank space between facing book pages or adjacent text columns is also named the 'gutter'.
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