gut

Etymology

From Middle English gut, gutte, gotte, from Old English gutt (usually in plural guttas (“guts, entrails”)), from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Related to English gote (“drain”), Old English ġēotan (“to pour”). More at gote, yote. The verb is from Middle English gutten, gotten (“to gut”).

noun

1. The alimentary canal, especially the intestine.
2. (informal) The abdomen of a person, especially one that is enlarged
   beer gut
3. (uncountable) The intestines of an animal used to make strings of a tennis racket or violin, etc.
4. A person's emotional, visceral self.
   I have a funny feeling in my gut.
5. (informal) A class that is not demanding or challenging.
   You should take Intro Astronomy: it's a gut.
6. A narrow passage of water.
   the Gut of Canso
7. The sac of silk taken from a silkworm when ready to spin its cocoon, for the purpose of drawing it out into a thread. When dry, it is exceedingly strong, and is used as the snood of a fishing line.

verb

1. (transitive) To eviscerate.
   The fisherman guts the fish before cooking them.
   The lioness gutted her prey.
2. (transitive) To remove or destroy the most important parts of.
   Fire gutted the building.
   Congress gutted the welfare bill.
3. To dishearten; to crush (the spirits of).
   It's no worse than what he said in Miami, but hearing him repeat it, attribute it to my father...it guts me. “That's who your family is. Who you are. Stangers—Stanleys, whatever your fucking names are,” he spits. 2016-10-04, Danielle Pearl, In Ruins, Forever
   What's bothering me is that I'd felt more for him than I realized, and it guts me that it's over before it can really get going. 2017-10-04, Angela Quarles, Earning It: A Romantic Comedy, Unsealed Room Press

adj

1. Made of gut.
   a violin with gut strings
2. Instinctive.
   gut reaction