rut

rut · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromrugītus
2. Old French · derived fromrut“noise, roar, bellowing”
3. Middle English · inherited fromrutte
4. English todayrut

From Middle English rutte (noun) and rutten (verb), from Old French rut (“noise, roar, bellowing”), from Latin rugītus, from rugīre (“to roar”).

rut · noun, verb²

1. Middle English · derived fromritten“to score, scratch, cut, tear open”
2. Old French · derived fromroute
3. Middle French · derived fromroute“road”
4. Middle English · inherited fromroute
5. English todayrut

Origin uncertain. Possibly from Middle English route, from Middle French route (“road”), from Old French route. See also rutter. Alternatively, possibly an alteration of rit (“groove, furrow”), from Middle English ritten (“to score, scratch, cut, tear open”). More at rit.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 15th c. Sexual desire in any of many mammals, often specific to mating season; the state or season in which this is experienced.
• from 16th c. A furrow, groove, or track worn in the ground, as from the passage of many wheels along a road.
• from 19th c. A fixed routine, procedure, line of conduct, thought or feeling.