gut

¹

[guht]

noun

1. the alimentary canal, especially between the pylorus and the anus, or some portion of it.

2. guts,

   1. bowels or entrails.

   2. Informal.,  courage and fortitude; nerve; determination; stamina.

      Climbing that cliff takes a lot of guts.

   3. the inner working parts of a machine or device.

      The mechanic had the guts of the refrigerator laid out on the kitchen floor.

3. the belly; stomach; abdomen.

4. the substance forming the case of the intestine; intestinal tissue or fiber.

   sheep's gut.

5. a preparation of the intestines of an animal, used for various purposes, as for violin strings, tennis rackets, or fishing lines.

6. the silken substance taken from a silkworm killed when about to spin its cocoon, used in making snells for fishhooks.

7. a narrow passage, as a channel of water or a defile between hills.

8. Slang.,  Also gut course snap course.

verb (used with object)

gutted, gutting 

1. to take out the guts or entrails of; disembowel.

2. to destroy the interior of.

   Fire gutted the building.

3. to plunder (a house, city, etc.) of contents.

   Invaders gutted the village.

4. to remove the vital or essential parts from.

   The prisoner's letters were gutted by heavy censorship.

adjective

1. Informal.

   1. basic or essential.

      to discuss the gut issues.

   2. based on instincts or emotions.

      a gut reaction; gut decisions.

GUT

²

Physics.

1. grand unification theory.

gut

¹

/ ɡʌt /

noun

1. 1. the lower part of the alimentary canal; intestine

   2. the entire alimentary canal

2. (often plural) the bowels or entrails, esp of an animal

3. slang,  the belly; paunch

4. See catgut

5. a silky fibrous substance extracted from silkworms, used in the manufacture of fishing tackle

6. a narrow channel or passage

7. informal,  (plural) courage, willpower, or daring; forcefulness

8. informal,  (plural) the essential part

   the guts of a problem

9. informal,  to make an intense effort

10. informal,  to be extremely angry with someone

11. informal,  to dislike a person very strongly

12. informal,  to work very hard

verb

1. to remove the entrails from (fish, etc)

2. (esp of fire) to destroy the inside of (a building)

3. to plunder; despoil

   the raiders gutted the city

4. to take out the central points of (an article), esp in summary form

adjective

1. informal,  arising from or characterized by what is basic, essential, or natural

   a gut problem

   a gut reaction

GUT

²

/ ɡʌt /

acronym

1. grand unified theory

gut

¹

1. The intestine of a vertebrate animal.

2. The alimentary canal of an invertebrate animal.

3. The tube in a vertebrate embryo that later develops into the alimentary canal, lungs, and liver.

GUT

²

1. Abbreviation of grand unified theory See unified field theory

Other Word Forms

• gutlike adjective
• ungutted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gut¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English gut, guttes (plural), Old English guttas (plural), akin to gēotan “to pour”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gut¹

Old English gutt; related to gēotan to flow; see _fusion

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. spill one's guts, to tell all; lay oneself bare; confess everything.

   The celebrity chef spills his guts in his autobiography.

More idioms and phrases containing gut

• bust a gut
• hate someone's guts
• have the guts

Example Sentences

Medications a person took years ago can still influence the community of microbes living in their gut, according to a large study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.

Read more on Science Daily

While human bodies can manufacture these fatty acids, the molecules also are found in dairy products and human breast milk and are made by certain gut microbes.

Read more on Science Daily

If this sounds like a good time—because what could be more fun than doing a gut renovation with an extra 10 people around—there are plenty of opportunities to find out.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Their popularity has even gripped Wall Street, where investors and strategists increasingly rely on their odds as a kind of gut check.

Read more on MarketWatch

But the strange thing is that there’s another significant factor that will determine the outcome this weekend, and this one is the polar opposite of guts and gumption.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decimate 
• empty 
• eviscerate 
• loot 
• ransack 
• ravage