different between gutter vs hollow

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /???t.?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /???t.?/, /???t?.?/
• Rhymes: -?t?(?)

Etymology 1

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

Noun

gutter (plural gutters)

1. A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
2. A ditch along the side of a road.
3. A duct or channel beneath the eaves of a building to carry rain water; eavestrough.

4. (bowling) A groove down the sides of a bowling lane.

5. A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.
6. Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.
7. (typography) A space between printed columns of text.
8. (printing) One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.
9. (philately) An unprinted space between rows of stamps.
10. (Britain) A drainage channel.
11. The notional locus of things, acts, or events which are distasteful, ill bred or morally questionable.
12. (figuratively) A low, vulgar state.

13. (comics) The spaces between comic book panels

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: gotro

Translations

See also

• gutter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• gout

Verb

gutter (third-person singular simple present gutters, present participle guttering, simple past and past participle guttered)

1. To flow or stream; to form gutters. [from late 14th c.]
2. (of a candle) To melt away by having the molten wax run down along the side of the candle. [from early 18th c.]
3. (of a small flame) To flicker as if about to be extinguished.
4. (transitive) To send (a bowling ball) into the gutter, not hitting any pins.
5. (transitive) To supply with a gutter or gutters.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

6. (transitive) To cut or form into small longitudinal hollows; to channel.

Translations

Etymology 2

gut +? -er

Noun

gutter (plural gutters)

1. One who or that which guts.
   • 1921, Bernie Babcock, The Coming of the King (page 151)

     A Galilean Rabbi? When did this Province of diggers in dirt and gutters of fish send forth Rabbis? Thou makest a jest.

   • 2013, Don Keith, Shelley Stewart, Mattie C.'s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story (page 34)

     An old, rusty coat hanger made a rudimentary fish-gutter.

Danish

Noun

gutter c

1. indefinite plural of gut

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

Noun

gutter m

1. indefinite plural of gutt

English

Alternative forms

• hallow
• holler (nonstandard: dialectal, especially Southern US)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h?l.??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?h?.lo?/
  • (Southern American English, Appalachia) IPA^(key): /h?l?/
• Rhymes: -?l??

Etymology 1

From Middle English holow, holowe, holwe, holw?, holgh, from Old English holh (“a hollow”), from Proto-Germanic *halhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *?el?wos. Cognate with Old High German huliwa and hulwa, Middle High German hülwe. Perhaps related to hole.

Noun

hollow (plural hollows)

1. A small valley between mountains.
   • c. 1710–20, Matthew Prior, The First Hymn Of Callimachus: To Jupiter

     Forests grew upon the barren hollows.
2. A sunken area or unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.

3. (figuratively) A feeling of emptiness.

4. (US) A sunken area.

Translations

Verb

hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)

1. (transitive) to make a hole in something; to excavate

Etymology 2

From Middle English holowe, holwe, holu?, holgh, from the noun (see above).

Adjective

hollow (comparative hollower, superlative hollowest)

1. (of something solid) Having an empty space or cavity inside.

   a hollow tree; a hollow sphere

2. (of a sound) Distant, eerie; echoing, reverberating, as if in a hollow space; dull, muffled; often low-pitched.
   • 1903, George Gordon Byron, On Leaving Newstead Abbey

     Through thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle:

3. (figuratively) Without substance; having no real or significant worth; meaningless.

   a hollow victory

4. (figuratively) Insincere, devoid of validity; specious.

   a hollow promise

5. Concave; gaunt; sunken.
   • c. 1596-1599, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

     To view with hollow eye and wrinkled brow

6. (gymnastics) Pertaining to hollow body position

Derived terms

• hollow leg

Translations

Adverb

hollow (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) Completely, as part of the phrase beat hollow or beat all hollow.

Etymology 3

Compare holler.

Verb

hollow (third-person singular simple present hollows, present participle hollowing, simple past and past participle hollowed)

1. To call or urge by shouting; to hollo.
   • 1814. Sir Walter Scott, Waverley

     He has hollowed the hounds.

Interjection

hollow

1. Alternative form of hollo

References

• hollow in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.