A gutter is a shallow channel at the edge of a roof or street that carries away rainwater. Figuratively, “the gutter” can also mean a very low or dirty social situation.
From Old French “gotier,” meaning “to drip,” and “gotiere,” meaning “watercourse, gutter,” from Latin “gutta,” “drop.” It began with the idea of dripping drops of water.
Gutter starts with a single drop—“gutta”—and grows into a whole channel for unwanted water. That’s why we also use it for the lowest social places, where what society doesn’t want tends to collect.
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